Peter Jackson Recalls The One Thing That Saved 'Lord Of The Rings' From Total Disaster
Among all the new films premiering at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Elijah Wood presented Peter Jackson with an Honorary Palme D'Or, as reported by our very own JustWatch. This prestigious award honors anyone in film who has "distinguished themselves in the art." While Jackson has done a number of notable projects, The Lord of the Rings trilogy remains his biggest feat to date—and for good reason.
Shooting all three movies consecutively was a major risk that paid off in spades. Each of the LOTR movies, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003), was released to critical acclaim and mega box-office returns. Now, 25 years later, it's fitting that Cannes chose to honor Jackson, considering Cannes played a vital role in flipping the switch on Jackson's LOTR trilogy.
Cannes Gave' Lord Of The Rings' Credibility
The Lord of the Rings trilogy: divisive? It's hard to imagine now, but as Jackson recounted in his acceptance speech, "the press was very skeptical." As mentioned above, shooting all three films at once resulted in some skepticism about the project's quality and longevity, with the press calling the undertaking "sheer madness." From an outside perspective, it makes sense. If The Fellowship of the Ring flopped, the following movies would also be dead on arrival. That's where New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye came into play.
Shaye decided to screen the first 20 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. "Bob's great gamble really changed the perception of the film," Jackson continued. "And for me, obviously, it was a life-changing thing. So, by the time the film came out, there was an anticipation that there wouldn't have been if not for Cannes."
Not long after the screening, the press changed their tune. A 2001 review of the Cannes footage from TheOneRing.net concludes with, "It was so amazing and I know within my heart of hearts that this movie is what we have all been waiting our lifetimes for." Honestly, that one sentence pretty much hits the nail on the head. Thanks to Jackson's dedication and respect for J.R.R. Tolkien's source material, he created one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time.
The 'LOTR' Franchise Is Still Going Strong
While no other Lord of the Rings project has been able to match the scale of Jackson's trilogy, the franchise continues. With Andy Serkis directing 2027's The Hunt for Gollum, fan anticipation for the project is at an all-time high, especially with Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen reprising their roles of Frodo and Gandalf, respectively.
Earlier this year, Stephen Colbert also announced that he (and his son) will be working with Jackson on another LOTR entry titled Shadows of the Past. While details on that are still under wraps, it plans to adapt six early chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring, including the Hobbits' run-in with Tom Bombadil, who we've yet to see on-screen, apart from in The Rings of Power (2022).
Speaking of, The Rings of Power Season 3 will return on November 11, 2026. Head over to Prime Video to catch up on the previous seasons. While the prequel series remains a divisive franchise entry, it's still an interesting watch for fans looking for deeper lore about the Second Age and the creation of Sauron's titular Ring of Power.
