The Lord of the Rings Director Considered Hypnotism to Make Him Forget He Made Film Trilogy

Many movie fans wish they could watch their favorite films for the first time again, recapturing that awe and excitement of witnessing that adventure for the first time, but in the case of The Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson, he never got to enjoy the films as an audience member, given how deeply invested he was in the productions. The filmmaker recently recalled that he’s so envious of other moviegoers that he considered going through hypnotherapy to make him forget he had made the films, which would allow him the opportunity to consume the experience with fresh eyes.

“When we did The Lord of the Rings movies I always felt I was the unlucky person who never got to see as a coming-out-of-the-blue film,” Jackson shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “By the time there were screening I was immersed in it for five or six years. It was such a loss for me not to be able to see them like everyone else. I actually did seriously consider going to some hypnotherapy guy to hypnotize me to make me forget about the films and the work I had done over the last six or seven years so I could sit and enjoy them. I didn’t follow through with it, but I did talk to [British mentalist] Derren Brown about that and he thought he could do it.”

Following the success of that trilogy, Jackson was developing the live-action adaptations of The Hobbit, which originally had Guillermo del Toro on board to direct. When del Toro departed the project, Jackson stepped in to helm all three installments, once again denying him the chance to enjoy the world of Middle-earth from a different perspective.

Luckily, the upcoming TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in an entirely different time than the events of The Lord of the Rings, allowing Jackson to enjoy the adventure with completely fresh eyes. Interestingly, Jackson claims that Amazon Studios asked him to be involved in the project, though they ended up never sending him any scripts. Whether this was due to them wanting to go a different direction with the franchise or merely a communication oversight is yet to be revealed.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video on September 2nd.

Do you wish you could see the films for the first time again? Let us know in the comments!