Tolkien Estate Reportedly Didn't Want Peter Jackson On LOTR Show
The Tolkien Estate reportedly didn't want Peter Jackson to be involved with Prime Video's upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Based on J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novels, The Rings of Power is set to mark the third major live-action adaptation of the beloved source material after Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy. The highly-anticipated series takes place hundreds of years before the events of Jackson's trilogy, chronicling the rise of evil in the Second Age of Middle-earth.
The show is created by Patrick McKay and John D. Payne. The two have previously gone on record about the fact that, while they admire Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, they're not looking to compete with it with The Rings of Power. Trailers for the show tease a massive scope and scale, showcasing massive battles and gorgeous landscapes. In addition to the show's reported production budget of $1 billion spread across 5 seasons, Amazon paid the Tolkien estate a hefty $250 million back in 2017 to secure the television rights for The Lord of the Rings.
Related: Rings Of Power Looks Like Jackson's LOTR Trilogy (& That's A Good Thing)
According to a new report from THR detailing Jackson's lack of involvement in the upcoming show, the Tolkien estate seems to have played a significant role in keeping the director away. While the showrunners and the studio have high regard for Jackson and his adaptation, there were legal concerns about keeping Jackson's films and the TV show separate, considering the films are owned by Warner Bros. One Amazon executive, Sharon Tal Yguado, was reportedly interested in having Jackson come on board in some capacity, but she ended up leaving the company in 2019. Crucially,
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