Peter Jackson: Losing My “Brother” DP Made Me Take a 12-Year Movie Hiatus

Peter Jackson — remember him? It’s been 12 years since he last directed a narrative feature, not counting his passion-project documentaries like the stunning WWI archival film “They Shall Not Grow Old” (2019).

Regardless, Jackson, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind “The Lord of the Rings,” has given a rare update on his cinematic future, and he’s also explaining how losing his trusted cinematographer, Andrew Lesnie, was a devastating blow, as their creative synergy had been central to his work.

Here’s a snippet from Jackson’s intro currently playing in theatres right before showings of the re-release for “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”:

That was a terrible blow to me, losing Andrew. It wasn’t a conscious decision because after that I made a documentary using old footage, and then I made a documentary about The Beatles, using old footage they had shot, and looking back I realize that I’ve avoided doing drama films because I’d have to work with someone else who isn’t Andrew, and I think his death changed my creative path. The result is for 11 or 12 years, I haven’t made a drama film because that would require me to build a relationship with another DP.

Lesnie, an Australian cinematographer, had joined to shoot “The Fellowship of the Ring.” He and Jackson quickly developed a close partnership. Over time, their bond grew so strong that the director considered Lesnie “like a brother.” They went on to work together on five more films: “King Kong,” “The Lovely Bones,” and “The Hobbit” trilogy.

Andrew has come on to shoot ‘Fellowship of the Ring,’ I hadn’t met him before. He stayed. It became a partnership. The relationship between a director and his DP is pretty intense. We would bicker and argue about stuff. I’m an only child and I thought ‘Andrew is like a brother to me now […] then he just had a huge heart attack and died.’

While he acknowledges he will eventually return to drama, Andrew’s death profoundly shaped his creative path.

I mean I will, and the day is getting closer that I’ll do that, but it’s certainly taken me a long time to get there

Though he hasn’t directed a feature film since 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” Jackson recently told Screen Rant that he was developing three different screenplays. One project fans still hope to see revived is the long-delayed sequel to “The Adventures of Tintin,” once rumored to be Jackson’s next directorial outing after Spielberg’s 2011 installment.

The first three “Lord of the Rings” movies, directed by Jackson, were critically acclaimed and dominated the global box office. Each entry racked up Oscar nominations, culminating in a Best Picture win for 2003’s “The Return of the King.” Jackson later returned with “The Hobbit” trilogy—financially successful but far less beloved—which ultimately brought both the franchise and Jackson’s directorial output to a halt.

Outside of Middle-earth, Jackson’s pre-hiatus filmography includes the criminally underrated “Heavenly Creatures,” “King Kong,” “The Lovely Bones,” “Bad Taste,” and “The Frighteners.”