Peter Jackson is onboard “The Hunt For Gollum,” but only as a producer. Andy Serkis is directing that film, which means, not counting his docs, Jackson’s last film as a director remains 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” Twelve years of inaction is a long time for a filmmaker.
It does sound as though, if Jackson ever directs again, it could be for the animated sequel to Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film, “The Adventures of Tintin.” Serkis, who is set to return to the role of Capt. Haddock, a temperamental sea captain, has just given us a promising update about the long-in-development sequel.
Speaking with Collider, Serkis assured fans that Jackson still “really wants to make” the sequel.
I love that Tintin film. I loved the process of making that film with such great filmmakers. I think Peter really, really wants to make it, so hopefully down the line.
This, and Serkis previous comments, negate any of the rumors that the film had been scrapped for good. It’s not like the first one made much money at the U.S. box office, but it was a huge hit in France. It was actually way back in 2018 that co-producer Spielberg announced Jackson’s intent in directing ‘Tintin 2’:
Peter Jackson has to do the second part. Normally, if all goes well, he will soon start working on the script. As it takes two years of animation work on the film, I wouldn’t expect to see it released for at least another three years. But Peter will stick with it. Tintin is not dead!
The sequel would be based on two source materials, “The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun” and “The Seven Crystal Balls” and “The Temple of the Sun.” The 2011 film did the same thing by adapting three books: “The Secret of the Unicorn,” “The Crab with the Golden Claws,” and “Red Rackham’s Treasure.”
Given that it’s been 12 years since Jackson has directed a film, not counting helming a few documentaries, including 2019’s stunning WWI effort “They Shall Grow Old” and the 2021 Beatles doc “Get Back,” I would imagine that he still has an itch to come back to feature filmmaking.
The first three “Lord of the Rings” movies, directed by Jackson, garnered immense praise and were box-office behemoths. Each instalment ended up with a slew of Oscar nominations, including a Best Picture win for 2003’s “The Return of the King.” Jackson followed those up with a trilogy of “Hobbit” movies, which were less successful and put the movie franchise, and Jackson, in hibernation.
Save for the six ‘Lord of the Rings’/‘Hobbit’ movies, Jackson’s pre-hibernation filmography includes the likes of “Heavenly Creatures” (UNDERRATED!), “King Kong,” “Bad Taste,” “The Frighteners,” and “The Lovely Bones.”