Every The Lord of the Rings fan remembers their first time watching the beloved trilogy. The three films are regarded as some of the best of all time, with 17 total Oscar wins and three Best Picture nominations, with one win for Return of the King in 2003. However, there was a time when Peter Jackson wanted to forget everything about the trilogy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The filmmaker has a good reason for wanting to erase his memory: he wants to view them as a fan. As audience members, we get to be shocked and surprised by different twists and turns in the films, with the fantastic and breathtaking experience that comes from watching it on the big screen. However, for director Peter Jackson, the process was entirely different. He tells THR, 'It was such a loss for me not to be able to see them like everyone else.'
"When we did The Lord of the Rings movies I always felt I was the unlucky person who never got to see as a coming-out-of-the-blue film. By the time there were screenings I was immersed in it for five or six years. It was such a loss for me not to be able to see them like everyone else. I actually did seriously consider going to some hypnotherapy guy to hypnotize me to make me forget about the films and the work I had done over the last six or seven years so I could sit and enjoy them. I didn't follow through with it, but I did talk to [British mentalist] Derren Brown about that and he thought he could do it."
Luckily for Jackson, another series inspired by Tolkien's work will soon be released. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power arrives on Amazon's Prime Video next month, Sept 2. Jackson says Amazon Studios initially wanted feedback from the director regarding the series, however, they soon ghosted the acclaimed director.
Peter Jackson is Back in Award Season
Peter Jackson's most recent work, The Beatles: Get Back, is receiving acclaim from critics and audiences alike. The documentary follows The Beatles and features in-studio footage that was shot in 1969, leading up to the 1970 release of the feature film Let It Be. The miniseries included three episodes, each with a lengthy run-time, with the second installment reaching nearly three hours.
Get Back was released over three days on Disney+, starting on Nov 25, 2021, until Nov 27. The series has received five Emmy nominations since its premiere, including Outstanding Directing for a Documentary and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction series. You can watch Jackson's latest directorial effort, Get Back, on Disney+ available now.