Peter Jackson hasn’t retired, despite not directing a film in 10 years

Peter Jackson hasn’t directed a feature film in over a decade, which has left fans wondering if he’s largely retired from that aspect of filmmaking. Thankfully, it seems that we will have another movie from the Lord of the Rings director at some point. While speaking with ScreenRant, Jackson confirmed that he hasn’t retired, and is actually working on three different scripts.

“No, no. I’m certainly not retired,” Jackson said. “We are currently working on three different screenplays. I’m at the moment writing three different scripts.“

Jackson continued, “We are producing and have been writing The Hunt for Gollum, which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year. I’ve enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I’ve grown old or not, and obviously the Get Back The Beatles project. I’ve enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that’ll probably carry on.“

Jackson’s last feature, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, was released in 2014.

He’s also become a major investor in Colossal Biosciences, a company which has announced its intention to “de-extinct” the Giant Moa, a species of flightless bird that went extinct several hundred years ago. “But to me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make,” Jackson said. “I’ve made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time.“

As Jackson mentioned, he’s been working on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, but we still have a few years to wait. Warner Bros. pushed the film’s release to December 17, 2027, but I could see it moving again as Disney later slated Avengers: Secret Wars on that same date.

The Hunt for Gollum occurs during the same period as The Fellowship of the Ring, with co-writer Philippa Boyens saying it’s set shortly before Frodo leaves the Shire for Rivendell. It would begin with Gandalf tasking Aragorn with finding Gollum, so he doesn’t spill the beans about the One Ring to Sauron. Aragorn and Gandalf play key roles in the story, but it remains to be seen if Viggo Mortensen and Ian McKellen will return. Both have expressed an interest, although the 86-year-old McKellen has said they’d “better be quick” about it if they want him back.

What type of movie do you hope Peter Jackson tackles as his next project? Personally, I’d love to see him tackle something like Braindead or The Frighteners again.