Peter Jackson just broke a 15 year silence. At the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the Oscar winning filmmaker confirmed he has finished a fresh script for a new Adventures of Tintin sequel with longtime partner Fran Walsh. He also explained why he stepped aside and handed The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum to Andy Serkis, calling the decision the more exciting choice.
Jackson Returns to the Director’s Chair After 12 Years
The announcement landed during a packed masterclass at the Debussy Theatre. Jackson revealed he has been writing the new Tintin screenplay from his Cannes hotel room, even during festival week.
It marks his first narrative feature comeback in over a decade. Jackson has not directed a non documentary feature since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014.
The director picked up an honorary Palme d’Or at the festival’s opening gala on Tuesday night, handed to him on stage by his longtime Frodo, Elijah Wood. The very next morning, he turned the spotlight back to his unfinished business.
“It’s an active real thing, and I’m getting back into the Tintin world, and I actually love it,” Jackson told the Cannes crowd.
peter jackson tintin 2 cannes announcement
The Tintin Deal With Steven Spielberg Is Finally Moving
The original plan was simple. Steven Spielberg would direct the first Tintin film, and Jackson would take the second.
Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn arrived in 2011 and pulled in roughly 374 million dollars worldwide. Then the sequel stalled. Jackson admitted he feels awkward about the long delay, adding that Spielberg has been gracious enough never to push him.
The first film was co written by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish and Steven Moffat. This new chapter is being penned solely by Jackson and Fran Walsh, who is also co writing and co producing The Hunt for Gollum.
Earlier reports suggested the sequel would adapt Hergé’s twin tales, The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun. That plan was later refuted, and the new source material remains a mystery. Industry chatter at Cannes hints the script may also fold in The Temple of the Sun.
“The deal was that Steven directs one and I direct another. So Steven did his film, and then for 15 years I haven’t made mine. I feel very awkward about that.”
Why Andy Serkis Is the Right Choice for The Hunt for Gollum
Jackson was crystal clear about why he is not directing the Middle earth prequel. He said he could have taken the job, but he had already done it.
The filmmaker described The Hunt for Gollum as an internal story rooted in Gollum’s psychology and addiction. He believes no one understands the character better than Andy Serkis, who has performed the role since 2002.
Jackson promised he will offer help when asked but stay out of Serkis’s way. He has given his old collaborator as much creative freedom as possible.
“The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it,” Jackson said.
This is not the first time Jackson stepped into a role he never wanted. When Guillermo del Toro exited The Hobbit after seven months of prep in New Zealand, Jackson reluctantly took the chair under pressure from New Line Cinema. That backstory makes his hands off approach to Gollum feel earned.
Inside The Hunt for Gollum Cast and Release Plans
Warner Bros. revealed the full cast at CinemaCon last month in Las Vegas. The film hits theatres on December 17, 2027, with production returning to New Zealand and the original Wētā Workshop team back on board.
| Actor | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Serkis | Gollum / Sméagol | Returning, also directing |
| Ian McKellen | Gandalf | Returning |
| Elijah Wood | Frodo Baggins | Returning |
| Lee Pace | Thranduil | Returning |
| Jamie Dornan | Strider / Aragorn | New, replacing Viggo Mortensen |
| Kate Winslet | Marigol | New addition |
| Leo Woodall | Halvard | New addition |
Viggo Mortensen opted out, saying he would only return if he felt right for Aragorn’s age in the story’s timeline. The film slots between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, following Aragorn and Gandalf as they try to capture Gollum before he can reveal the One Ring’s location to Sauron.
The screenplay reunites original trilogy writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Jackson, Walsh and Boyens are producing.
Jackson on AI, Dambusters and What Comes Next
Beyond Middle earth and Tintin, Jackson opened up about another long held dream project. He still wants to direct a feature about the Dambusters Raid, the 1943 Royal Air Force attack on German hydroelectric dams.
He had hoped to make the film before The Hobbit pulled him back to New Zealand. The story, he said, is about invention and creative problem solving under impossible pressure.
The director also waded into the AI debate shaking Hollywood. He called artificial intelligence “just a tool like any other tool,” comparing it to the rubber model stop motion that built the original King Kong. He drew a hard line though, noting that Serkis playing Gollum is not AI but a human motion captured performance.
- Tintin 2: Script complete, Jackson directing, animation style continues from 2011 original
- The Hunt for Gollum: Releases December 17, 2027, Serkis directing
- Dambusters: Passion project still alive, no studio attached yet
- Honorary Palme d’Or: Received May 12, 2026, presented by Elijah Wood
Few directors carry the weight of a franchise the way Jackson does with Middle earth. Hearing him say he has finally cracked Tintin while trusting Serkis with Gollum feels like the closing of one chapter and the opening of two more at once. Fans waited 15 years for this Tintin update, and they got it from a hotel room in Cannes. What do you think about Jackson directing Tintin 2 while Serkis leads the new Lord of the Rings film? Drop your thoughts in the comments and share this story with the Tolkien fan in your life.
