Peter Jackson said he "didn't really think about the idea" of directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
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Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the previous films, is helming the project instead.
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"I thought, well, this story would actually be more interesting if Gollum himself directed it — and Andy is about as close as you can get," Jackson said.
Peter Jacksondoesn't think he's the right man to helm the next Middle-earth outing.
TheKing Kongfilmmaker discussed whyAndy Serkis, whom he directed in theLord of the RingsandHobbitmovies, was taking over as director on the franchise's upcoming installment,The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
"I thought, well, this story would actually be more interesting if Gollum himself directed it — and Andy is about as close as you can get," Jackson said on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where he accepted an honorary Palme d'Or, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
"The film is very much an internal story about Gollum's psychology and his sort of addiction. It's a very personal story to Gollum the character. And so I thought, well, Andy knows this guy better than anybody," Jackson said.
Jackson is producing the film, which will see the return ofIan McKellenas Gandalf,Elijah Woodas Frodo, andLee Paceas Thranduil.Jamie Dornanis taking over fromViggo Mortensento play Aragorn (credited as "Strider"), whileKate Winsletand Leo Woodall are portraying new characters Marigol and Halvard, respectively.
Jackson said that he never even considered helming the project himself.
"I didn't really think much about the idea of me doing it at all," he said. "I thought the most exciting version of this movie is going to be if Andy Serkis makes it, because he's going to put a Gollum psychology on screen that you cannot imagine."
That said, Jackson also noted that he's happy to assist Serkis, who has previously directed movies likeVenom: Let There Be CarnageandAnimal Farm.
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"I mean, I'm there to help when I can help," he said. "If I can be of assistance at certain times and answer questions, I'm there. But I don't interfere."
Since finishing theHobbittrilogy in 2014, Jackson has worked exclusively on documentary projects likeThe Beatles: Get BackandThey Shall Not Grow Old. However, at the Cannes event, he revealed that he has plans to return to narrative filmmaking with a sequel to a prior project.
"We're actually writing the nextTintinfilm now," Jackson said. "The deal was that Steven [Spielberg] directs one and I direct another. So Steven did his film, and then for 15 years I haven't made mine."
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Jackson produced 2011'sThe Adventures of Tintin, in which Serkis portrayed Captain Haddock via performance capture. The filmmaker said he doesn't feel good about how long it has taken him to fulfill his promise to make a sequel to the animated film, which was based on the Belgian comic series by Hergé.
"I feel very awkward about that," Jackson said. "Steven's gracious enough not to sort of push me, but I know that I want to make it right. So I've been working with Fran [Walsh] on anotherTintinscript. I was writing it in the hotel room here just a couple of days ago."
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumhits theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.
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