Peter Jackson once contemplated erasing his memory about The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Being an avid fan of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels, the filmmaker crafted a cinematic world that captivated audiences globally and has since become one of the most influential franchises.
While his films have been a source of joy for fans worldwide, the filmmaker himself never had the opportunity to enjoy the trilogy like an ordinary viewer. And his desire for an unspoiled viewing experience for the film prompted Jackson to consider hypnosis to forget everything about Middle Earth.
Peter Jackson Wanted to Forget The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson revealed the one reason he regrets being the director of The Lord of the Rings films. He felt like the “unlucky” one for not being able to enjoy these movies as a regular fan or viewer.
“When we did the Lord of the Rings movies, I always felt I was the unlucky person who never got to see [them] as a coming-out-of-the-blue film,” he said. Having worked on the movies for years, he shared that he missed out on the excitement of enjoying these movies.
The filmmaker also shared that he was so desperate to fulfill his wish that he even considered wiping his memory of his years of work on the trilogy and everything he had earned through hypnotherapy.
“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.”
While he did not follow through with it, The Frighteners director emphasized that he was so serious about it that he even discussed his idea with the English mentalist and illusionist, Darren Brown, who “thought” he could erase everything Jackson knew about the movies.
Peter Jackson Looked Foward to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
While he was unable to enjoy the film trilogy, the filmmaker had another opportunity to witness the Middle-Earth saga in Amazon Prime Video’s 2022 TV series The Rings of Power. Created by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the TV series is not connected to the film trilogy.
Peter Jackson has shared that although he was asked if he wanted to be involved with the series, the studio behind the TV show did not further initiate anything. He shared on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast,
“They asked me if I wanted to be involved — and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script. — So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up.”
The Lovely Bones director, however, had no hard feelings towards the makers or the series and shared that he would be looking forward to it, especially as it would finally allow him to enjoy The Lord of the Rings adaptation without any prior involvement.
“I’ll be watching it,” he said before adding, “The one thing I am looking forward to is actually seeing it as a perfectly neutral viewer.” The series, which premiered in 2022, has received positive reviews, and Season 2 of the show is expected to release in 2024 on Amazon Prime Video.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is available to stream on Max.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
