Peter Jackson Joked About 2 The Lord of the Rings Spin-offs That Will Never Happen (And Fans Should Be Happy)

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For devoted followers of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth interpretation, the extended edition DVDs of the trilogy are treasure troves. They offer more than just the movies themselves; they include a rich selection of bonus content, such as commentary sessions where those involved in the films discuss their views on the completed work. Each film had two distinct commentary tracks: one featuring the cast from The Lord of the Rings, and another with Jackson, screenwriters Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens providing director’s commentary. These director’s commentaries delve into captivating behind-the-scenes stories about the choices made when transforming J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel into films, as well as the challenges faced during production.

While completing the commentary tracks, Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens couldn’t resist having a good laugh. Given that these were the final tasks left, they treated them as celebrations of their collective achievements during the making of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In one of the commentary tracks, Jackson humorously proposed hypothetical television spin-offs featuring some unexpected characters from The Lord of the Rings. Although it’s fortunate that these series didn’t materialize, they make for an entertaining mental exercise.

Peter Jackson Was Fascinated by Minor Aspects of The Lord of the Rings

In Jackson’s words, he shared his affection for the Ent characters from Tolkien’s works, stating, “I adore the Ents. I could almost say a full film revolves around them. Perhaps a spin-off series: Fangorn Forest.” Walsh included the tagline, “Where change happens slowly,” reflecting on the pace of events in that forest. Jackson went further by proposing, “Treebeard might become a detective tree, solving murders and mysteries in Fangorn Forest,” an idea that brings humor given how easily Pippin deceived Treebeard in The Two Towers; Pippin had claimed they would be safer if they bypassed Isengard, to which Treebeard replied, “Hmm. That doesn’t make sense to me, but then, you are quite small.

During the final moments of “The Two Towers“, Jackson made a humorous remark. After the Battle of Helm’s Deep, a scene depicted the heroes gazing towards Mordor in the distance, but Éomer was noticeably missing; instead, King Théoden rode alongside him. Walsh inquired about the identity of the rider on horseback, to which Jackson responded that actor Karl Urban was unreachable during filming, so his stand-in took his place. The initial plan was to swap the stand-in’s face with Urban’s digitally, but they opted to keep him as a “generic Rohan rider” instead. Since they had to create a name and background for this Rohirrim at short notice, Jackson joked about it.

George holds the position of Fourth Lieutenant within Company 2, Division B of the Mark. A television series based on “The Lord of the Rings” spin-off is being produced by New Line Cinema, where he will make an appearance. Initially, this role serves to introduce him in the films, followed by a separate TV show focusing on him later on.

It’s important to clarify that this event did not actually occur, but hypothetically speaking, the initial film spin-off from Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” series could have been “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” a story focused on the land and people of Rohan, masterfully crafted by Kenji Kamiyama.

The Lord of the Rings Franchise Has Undergone Major Changes Since Jackson’s Trilogy

In the early 2000s, when Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens made this commentary track, plans for any serious spin-offs from “The Lord of the Rings” beyond what was already in development were nonexistent. However, following the release of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” in 2014, there was a near decade-long absence of “The Lord of the Rings” in movies and TV. During this time, Peter Jackson’s trilogy influenced video games like “Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor”. After their work on “The Lord of the Rings”, Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens took some time off, and no other directors or writers dared to step into their footsteps.

2022 marked a significant shift with the debut of Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” television series, which sparked a fresh influx of Middle-earth content. Despite being independent from Peter Jackson’s film trilogies, “The Rings of Power” paved the way for this new wave. Soon after, “The War of the Rohirrim” emerged, reintroducing Middle-earth to theaters, though in an animated adaptation. “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” is now in pre-production, and another live-action film is slated to follow, with its subject yet undisclosed but unlikely to focus on Detective Treebeard or Lieutenant George of Rohan.

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2025-05-08 03:48