Peter Jackson still doesn’t know when ‘Lord of the Rings’ will be available on Blu-ray.
The Academy award-winner – who directed the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien – said he had no idea when the films would be available on Blu-ray because of issues with the rights to the franchise, but he offered hope to die-hard fans by suggesting there is the possibility of even more Middle-earth material coming soon.
He said: “I keep getting told different dates. It was supposed to be Christmas but now it’s 2010. Possibly as early as March I hear. But to be honest, I have got to the point where I don’t really pay much attention to it!
“The first release will be the theatrical versions in a box set, then they’re planning to release the extended cuts the following year or something… obviously to make everyone buy it twice. I’ve been talking to them, but nothings been resolved.”
The 48-year-old director said part of the issue was that a lawsuit had been going on between Warner Bros and the heirs of J.R.R. Tolkien which was only resolved in September 2009 and had contributed to the date of the release.
Although Peter admitted avid fans of the trilogy would have to wait to view Middle-earth in high definition, he said there were “myriad hours of extras available” which could be made into further material.
He said to Empire magazine: “I have a couple of ideas for a new documentary. We shot and uploaded seven million feet of film in New Zealand.”
