The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Main Teaser. Video / Amazon Prime Video
Sir Peter Jackson says Amazon once asked him to be involved in its upcoming Lord of The Rings TV series – but then never contacted him again.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jackson first mentioned being "ghosted" by Amazon during an episode of the publication's Awards Chatter podcast.
The HollywoodReporter says the Oscar-winning director again told the story in an upcoming episode of The Business podcast.
"About four, five years ago, [Amazon] asked if I would be interested in [the new series]," he said.
"So, I said, 'Have you got the scripts yet?' Because I know how hard the scripts were to write for the films, and I didn't know the people writing their scripts.
"I'll be watching [the show]," he told the podcast. "I'm not the sort of guy who wishes ill will. Film-making 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."
Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power is set to premiere next month. Photo / AP
Amazon Studios has released a statement in response to Jackson's comments, suggesting there were legalities around keeping the new series separate from the previous Lord of The Rings movies.
"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."
The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the movie trilogy.
The first season of the show was filmed in New Zealand, however, Amazon revealed last year that they were shifting production of the second season to the UK.
The first full-length trailer for the show was released last month, ahead of its premiere on Amazon Prime Video on September 2.
