Jackson seems to have an impeccable talent for creating magnificent, yet believable worlds and characters, as can be seen in the Lord of the Rings films. However, what makes these movies stand out against other fantasy storylines of the time is how much attention to detail Jackson put into balancing Tolkien’s voice with his own, and getting unique creatures and places as a result.

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So whether you’re a Lord of the Rings fan that prefers the movies, or one that prefers the show, there’s no denying that Jackson’s work created immense success for the franchise, which is why there was such a demand to make the show in the first place. If Jackson’s films had not been made, it’s still possible that a show or movie set in that world would come about, but there’s no guarantee it would have had the influential status that Peter’s movies had, and still have.

So what is it about Jackson’s voice that made him so well-equipped to tell the tales of Middle Earth? One might assume that he had years of experience writing fantasy before he approached these films, but that’s actually not the case. Though Jackson was a Tolkien fan long before making his movies, he had to take a less traditional route to getting them made.

Peter Jackson began his career in the 80s, making films that either fell under the horror or comedy genres. His early work was not without success, as he slowly made his way up the ladder and even managed to win a few awards. The film that turned his career around was the 1994 feature, Heavenly Creatures, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best original Screenplay. Yet, even the success of his first film was setting him up for something more.

After proving himself through the praise that Heavenly Creatures received, Jackson gained himself his first big budget project, which turned out to be The Frighteners. Completed in 1996, the horror comedy, The Frighteners, came to be the movie that really put Jackson on the map as a filmmaker, despite being a box office failure. Jackson initially received a lot of criticism for the film, but he stood his ground and kept pursuing new opportunities to prove himself. He found that opportunity when he won the rights to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings story in 1997. The disappointment that Jackson felt after the failure with The Frighteners is what pushed him to prove himself by seeking out a story that was big enough to stand out, and big enough of a challenge for him to prove his skills as a filmmaker.

Of course, obtaining the rights to the story wasn’t the biggest part of the challenge, as Jackson knew what his vision for the storyline was but struggled to find producers that would fund his particular vision of the films. Many of them felt that for cost’ sake, the story should be captured in 1-2 films, but Jackson knew to do justice to the story would require more time. His struggle finally had a light at the end of the tunnel, but it wasn’t over yet.

Finally, Jackson would land on New Line to fund the film because they encouraged him to write the story as a trilogy. The entire sequence of production and pre-production (including some additional shooting) took around two years to complete, revealing just how much effort he put into proving his worth and adjusting his reputation, and it obviously paid off for him.

As we all know, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a huge success, probably even more successful than anticipated. This shot Jackson’s career upward, and it didn’t really slow back down. After this, the list of films that Jackson made were consistently paced, big movies that were mostly received with praise. Even The Frighteners, the film that drove Jackson to strive for more, has since gone on to gain a cult following, with many viewers claiming to actually quite like the film, despite its disappointing box office numbers. This certainly goes to show that even if a creator’s work isn’t well-received, it’s their determination and acceptance of who they are that truly determines what their success will be.

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