Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is only the best movie series ever created, so it's no surprise that Amazon approached him to get his thoughts and inputs on the upcoming The Rings of Power series, which is also based on Tolkien's universe. Of course, the show isn't trying to ape the movies, but input from an accomplished director like Jackson is something anyone would be looking forward to.
What is surprising, however, is that they left him hanging once they contacted him. “They asked me if I wanted to be involved — [writer-producer Fran Walsh] and I — and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script,'” Jackson said, in conversation on the The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. “So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up. That’s the last thing I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all.”
Jackson mentioned that Amazon got in touch with him about four to five years ago – around when production started – and asked if he wanted to be involved. He asked if they had scripts yet, as that's the only way he'd be able to judge – he was told that they would be shared with him as soon as they were ready. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power launches this August, and Jackson still hasn't received the scripts though.
But he didn't seem to mind, and wished the team all the best. “I’ll be watching it,” he said. “I’m not the sort of guy who wishes ill will. Filmmaking is hard enough. If somebody makes a good film or TV show, it’s something to celebrate. The one thing I am looking forward to is actually seeing it as a perfectly neutral viewer.”
In response to Jackson's statements, Amazon said, "In pursuing the rights for our show, we were obligated to keep the series distinct and separate from the films. We have the utmost respect for Peter Jackson and The Lord of the Rings films and are thrilled that he is looking forward to watching The Rings of Power.”