Hobbit director Peter Jackson will not make a Marvel movie because, ironically, he does not like 'franchise-driven Hollywood'

The Hobbit director is looking to make a small scale New Zealand film next

Jess Denham
Monday 22 December 2014 10:54 GMT
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The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Peter Jackson has said ‘no thanks’ to directing a Marvel film because he does not like the “Hollywood blockbuster bandwagon”.

Despite (ironically) achieving global success with The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, the New Zealand filmmaker is not a fan of franchises and comic book movies.

“The industry – and the advent of all the technology – has kind of lost its way,” he told Moviefone. “It’s become very franchise-driven and superhero-driven.

“I’ve never read a comic book in my life, so I’m immediately at a disadvantage and I have no interest in that.”

Instead, Jackson plans to “go and make a small New Zealand movie” and step back from grander scale films.

The 53-year old has become synonymous with JRR Tolkien films after making six movies in 14 years.

Jackson’s final Hobbit movie, The Battle of the Five Armies, is in cinemas now after topping the UK box office last weekend.

The Middle Earth epic grossed £9.76 million to take the number one spot and surpass the debuts for preceding films An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug.

But any fans hoping to see Jackson return to Tolkien’s fantasy classics will be disappointed. The Oscar-winning director confirmed earlier this month that he will not be bringing any more of the author’s work to the big screen because of legal reasons.

“The Tolkien estate owns the writings of Professor Tolkien. Without the cooperation of the Tolkien estate, there can’t be more films.”

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Unfortunately Tolkien’s son, Christopher, told Le Monde in 2012 that his father has “become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed in the absurdity of our time”.

So don’t expect any more Tolkien films anytime soon.

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