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Peter Jackson may have soured fans’ views of himself after the lackluster Hobbit trilogy, but most Lord of the Rings fans still swear by his name as the best thing that ever happened to Tolkien, and any attempts to adapt his work for live action.
Even putting his reputation aside, the fact that Jackson is a Middle-earth veteran after directing six films is something that could have served Amazon well. That’s probably why, as soon as the giant conglomerate signed a deal with Tolkien’s estate in 2017, rumors of Jackson’s return began to circulate online. Now, more than five years later, die-hard fans have been faced with a grim reality; rumors of the filmmaker’s involvement in the rings of power they were just that.
However, the director told The Hollywood Reporter, he was initially contacted by Amazon Studios but never heard from again.
“They asked me if I wanted to participate. [writer-producer Fran Walsh] and me, and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script.’ So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first two scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never appeared. That’s the last I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all.
About four or five years ago I was asked if I would be interested. So I said, ‘Do you have the scripts yet?’ Because I know how hard it was to write the scripts for the movies, and I didn’t know the people who wrote their scripts. They said, ‘Oh no, we don’t have the scripts yet, but as soon as we do, we’ll send them to you.’ So I was waiting for the scripts to come, and they never came.”

While Jackson’s inclusion in the creative process would definitely have helped the rings of power establish a familiar and comforting lifeline for The Lord of the rings trilogy, maybe it finally worked out for the best. After all, there are too many chefs in the kitchen, especially when it comes to creative endeavors.
the rings of power is scheduled for a September 2 premiere on Prime Video.