Peter Jackson says he doubts the Lord of the Rings trilogy could be made today

Collider reports that director Peter Jackson said he would "hesitate to even think that we could do anything like that now," in a recent interview reflecting on making The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

The Fellowship of the Ring premiered in 2001 and the trilogy was a major commercial and critical success: the first film earned over $889 million worldwide, finished the year as the second-highest-grossing film of 2001, and the series received 13 Academy Award nominations with four wins, including Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. Jackson asked, "What the hell were we thinking?" while co-writer Philippa Boyens said, "I thought I’d be lucky if I got maybe three months’ work out of it," and recalled moments Jackson "absolutely saw," such as "following Gandalf (Ian McKellen) over the edge, fighting the Balrog."

Warner Bros., in collaboration with Fathom Entertainment, have returned The Fellowship to theaters and streaming platforms across multiple countries, and the film is streaming now on HBO Max and Prime Video. Jackson added, "I don’t miss those days... But I’m certainly proud of the films," and a review of the 4K release called the trilogy a once-in-a-generation filmmaking achievement.

Key Topics

Culture, Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Warner Bros, Fathom Entertainment