Peter Jackson, the visionary auteur behind The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and the visceral horror-comedy Dead Alive, has remained largely absent from the director’s chair for over a decade. While he has lent his expertise as a producer on various projects—ranging from the high-concept Mortal Engines to Andy Serkis’ upcoming Middle-earth entry, The Hunt for Gollum—his last narrative feature is a distant memory. For those of us who cherish his signature blend of sweeping, epic storytelling and intimate character beats, the wait for his return has been long.
However, during a recent masterclass at the Cannes Film Festival, Jackson finally broke his directorial silence. He confirmed that he is actively preparing to return to the helm, having just finalized the script for a new animated Tintin installment. This revelation has sent waves of excitement through the fanbase, though it comes as little surprise to those who know that Jackson has been championing the return of Hergé’s intrepid reporter for nearly twenty years.
The quest to adapt Tintin dates back to the 1980s, when Steven Spielberg first secured the rights. While initial attempts at a live-action adaptation failed to launch, Spielberg’s interest was reignited in the 2000s after witnessing the technical wizardry of Weta Workshop on The Lord of the Rings. With encouragement from Jackson and James Cameron, the vision shifted toward performance-capture 3D animation, eventually leading to their 2010 announcement: Spielberg would steer the first film, with Jackson slated to direct the sequel.
The Adventures of Tintin, featuring a stellar cast including Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig, skillfully wove together elements from The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn, and Red Rackham’s Treasure. Despite this success, the planned sequel lost momentum after the 2011 release. While it performed reasonably well globally, grossing $373 million, the film’s modest $77.5 million intake in the U.S. cast a shadow over future development.
In the intervening years, Jackson’s focus shifted. He found himself pulled into the demanding production of The Hobbit trilogy following Guillermo del Toro’s departure. Furthermore, Jackson revealed at Cannes that the 2015 passing of his longtime cinematographer, Andrew Lesnie—a key partner on both the Rings and Hobbit sagas—deeply affected him, leading him to find solace and creative fulfillment in documentary filmmaking rather than blockbuster narratives.
Now, the tides have turned. Jackson shared that he and his creative partner, Fran Walsh, have completed the screenplay for a new Tintin feature, noting that he was refining the draft even while in France. While he has yet to disclose which of Hergé’s adventures will serve as the source material, the announcement signals a thrilling new chapter for the filmmaker.
Jackson has long flirted with various narratives for a sequel, including the possibility of adapting Prisoners of the Sun. When asked in 2018 about the film’s trajectory, Jackson told us, “There’s so many good stories, and I just want to see what I feel like making.” Whether he revisits the hunt for Professor Calculus or explores a different corner of the Tintin universe, the prospect of his return—coupled with his long-standing ambition to helm a war film centered on the 1943 Dambusters Raid—suggests that one of cinema’s most creative minds is ready to reclaim his seat in the director’s chair.
Source: Polygon
