Last night, Peter Jackson was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This morning, he gave a masterclass at the Debussy Theater.
The big reveal out of this masterclass was Jackson, who hasn’t directed a feature (not counting his docs) in over 12 years, revealing that he is working on a new “Adventures of Tintin” movie. Not only that, he recently “completed the script,” which he admits he’s been working on in his hotel room while attending the fest. And yes, Jackson plans to direct the film.
I’ve been working with Fran [Walsh, Jackson’s partner] on another Tintin script, I was writing it in the hotel room here. It’s an active real thing, and I’m getting back into the Tintin world, and I actually love it.
Jackson’s last film as a director was 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” Twelve years of inactivity is a long time for a filmmaker. It does sound as though the animated sequel to Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film “The Adventures of Tintin” might be next.
It’s not like the first Tintin made much money in the U.S., but it was a huge hit in France. It was actually back in 2018 that co-producer Spielberg announced Jackson’s intent to direct “Tintin 2.” Since then, the project has been in a long dormant state.
The sequel would be based on two source materials: “The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun,” “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.”
Why has Jackson not directed a film in twelve years? He recently admitted that the loss of his longtime cinematographer Andrew Lesnie prevented him from wanting to return. He felt he could not trust another DP after that, adding that the partnership with Lesnie shaped every visual decision in his films.
As for why Jackson isn’t directing “The Hunt For Gollum,” which is now being helmed by Andy Serkis, he says, “I could have directed it, but I thought, I’ve done that. It would be more interesting with this particular story –which takes place between Hobbit and Lord of the Rings — if Andy directed it.”
Save for the six “The Lord of the Rings”/“The Hobbit” movies, Jackson’s pre-hibernation filmography includes “Heavenly Creatures” (underrated!), “King Kong,” “Bad Taste,” “The Frighteners,” and “The Lovely Bones.”
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