Director Peter Jackson Isn’t a Fan of Movie Franchises and Superhero Films

Today in “surely you jest” news, ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ franchise director Peter Jackson has officially revealed where he stands on film franchises, blockbusters, and superhero movies. Although he’s been behind the wheel of two wildly successful film franchises for over a decade, it turns out that Jackson isn’t really a fan of the franchise mentality. And you definitely shouldn’t count on him to direct a Marvel movie anytime soon—or ever.

Recently, Jackson expressed a desire to return to making smaller, more intimate films in his native New Zealand. Jackson’s breakthrough feature was the darkly enchanting 1994 film ‘Heavenly Creatures,’ based on a true crime story about two best friends (Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey) who become obsessed with the fantasy world they’ve created and plot to murder their parents. The director previously also helmed three horror comedies, including splatstick favorite ‘Braindead.’

Over the last 13 years, Jackson has delivered six films based on ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit,’ along with big budget films like ‘King Kong’ and ‘The Lovely Bones.’ It’s easy to understand why he might be feeling a little franchise fatigue, but his latest revelation in an interview with Moviefone (via ComicBookMovie) seems kind of absurd, given his output:

I don’t really like the Hollywood blockbuster bandwagon that exists right now. The industry and the advent of all the technology, has kind of lost its way. It’s become very franchise driven and superhero driven. I’ve never read a comic book in my life so I’m immediately at a disadvantage and I have no interest in that. So now it’s time for us to step back. We’re heading towards something of that scale.

How can Peter Jackson—who helmed six Middle Earth movies and a remake of ‘King Kong’—express such disdain for the very system he’s been thriving in for over a decade? Should we take his comments to indicate a lack of passion regarding his own projects? Further, Jackson mentions “the advent of all the technology,” but it was his first ‘Hobbit’ film that introduced us to the high frame rate viewing experience—an experience which many people don’t prefer.

Jackson certainly has a point about the current industry mindset, which is geared towards franchise potential and creating larger, shared cinematic universes, inspired largely by the success of Marvel—but it’s difficult to take him seriously when Jackson himself has directed six franchise films and a blockbuster remake. It seems as though he’s sort of biting the hand that’s kept him fed.

Jackson’s planned return to smaller films might be the inspiration he needs to make something really great, and regardless of his comments, we’re excited to see what he’ll do when he’s working on a smaller scale again.