Lord of the Rings: Peter Jackson confirms he won't be involved in Amazon series

Jackson directed the Oscar-winning movie adaptations of JRR Tolkien's novels

(Getty)

Ever since Amazon announced their Lord of the Rings series, the Internet’s excitement has been palpable.

Having paid a reported $250 million for the rights to J. R. R. Tolkien’s work, the series will end up the most expensive television show of all time once all five seasons have been produced.

However, despite many fans’ hopes, Peter Jackson, the esteemed director who helmed the Oscar-winning adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, will not be involved with Amazon’s adaptation.

There were rumblings for some time that Jackson had been having discussions with the studio, a spokesperson now confirming to Digital Spy that the director will not be involved with the project. Jackson has been instead busy producing the upcoming adaptation of Mortal Engines, speaking to The Independent about the recently released trailer for the movie.

Meanwhile, details regarding the Lord of the Rings TV series remain sparse, with reports indicating the series will focus on a young Aragon, played by Viggo Mortensen in the films. The story will be derived from Tolkien’s appendices and notes rather than being a direct adaptation of the novel and will reportedly focus on a different character each season.

Certain actors from Jackon’s trilogy may have ruled themselves out of appearing (Andy Serkis who played Gollum and Gimli star John Rhys Davis), however, one person who’d be up for returning is Gandalf himself, Sir Ian McKellen.

Speaking on BBC Radio 2 about the series, he hinted that he’d be unhappy if producers were to recast the character. “What do you mean, another Gandalf?” he told presenter Graham Norton. “I haven’t said yes because I haven’t been asked [to return]. But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it? Gandalf is over 7,000 years old, so I’m not too old.”

The initial news of a Lord of the Rings series came as a surprise to many. The Tolkien estate had a fraught relationship with the studio who adapted the story with Jackson, New Line, engaging in a legal battle in 2012. The author’s heirs filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers after characters from the series appeared on slot machines and other games. An undisclosed settlement was met out of court.

Tolkien’s son, Christopher, has also been a vocal critic of the filmed adaptations, at one stage saying: “They gutted the book, making an action film for 15 to 25-year-olds.” Christopher resigned from the Tolkien estate on the 31 August last year, only weeks before the Amazon deal was made official.