Sir Peter Jackson has confirmed he is returning to feature film directing after a 12-year hiatus to helm a sequel to 2011’s The Adventures of Tintin. Jackson, who produced the original film directed by Steven Spielberg, is currently co-writing the script with partner Fran Walsh as he shifts his focus back to narrative cinema.
A Long-Awaited Return to the Director’s Chair
For more than a decade, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy has remained largely absent from narrative feature directing. The Independent reports that Jackson, 64, has not helmed a feature since 2014’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. While he has maintained a prolific output through documentary projects—such as the 2018 World War I film They Shall Not Grow Old and the 2021 series The Beatles: Get Back—his return to scripted storytelling has been a subject of intense speculation.
Jackson recently clarified his plans during a retrospective conversation about his 1996 film The Frighteners. Speaking with Gold Derby, he confirmed that his next directorial project will be the sequel to The Adventures of Tintin. The project was originally conceived as a two-part collaboration between Jackson and Steven Spielberg, with an initial agreement that the pair would swap roles for the second installment.
“Fran and I have been writing a script for the next Tintin film because 15 years ago, Steven Spielberg directed a Tintin film and I produced it. The idea was that then I was supposed to go straight onto a second one, and we’d swap the roles, so I’d direct the second one and he’d produce it. It’s just taken 15 years to get there, unfortunately, a bit late. But it’s a timeless story. So we just wrapped up. So probably the next film that I’d actually direct is a Tintin movie.”
Peter Jackson, Director
The Impact of Andrew Lesnie on Jackson’s Creative Path
Jackson’s extended break from drama was not entirely by design. In a video released earlier this year, the director revealed that the 2015 death of his longtime cinematographer, Andrew Lesnie, fundamentally altered his creative trajectory. Lesnie had served as the director of photography for all of Jackson’s Middle-earth films, and the two had developed a bond Jackson described as being like a brother.
For more on this story, see The Hunt for Gollum: Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood to Return to Middle-earth.
I haven’t made a drama film because that would require me to build a relationship with another DP,
Jackson noted. His shift toward documentary filmmaking allowed him to utilize archival footage and existing relationships, bypassing the need to establish a new, high-stakes partnership with a camera lead.
Current Projects and Middle-earth Production
While the Tintin sequel is on the horizon, Jackson remains deeply embedded in the cinematic world of Middle-earth. He is currently serving as a producer on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is being directed by Andy Serkis.
“The machine never stops. I had to approve something that needs to get built instantly. So we’re as deep into it as you could possibly be. It’s obviously extraordinarily joyful — we’re loving being back in Middle-earth.”
Richard Taylor, Collaborator
Beyond his film work, Jackson has become a significant investor in the biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences. He has specifically pushed the company to focus on the de-extinction of the Giant Moa, a flightless bird native to New Zealand. Jackson suggested that achieving such a scientific milestone would provide a level of excitement that might supersede anything at this point in time
in his film career.
Timeline and Future Outlook
As Jackson balances his writing commitments, his role in the Middle-earth production, and his scientific interests, the industry is watching to see how quickly he can move the Tintin script into active production.
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