Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy completely redefined the fantasy genre. Between its groundbreaking visual effects, ambitious storytelling, and faithful adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material, The Lord of the Rings became one of the most influential movie trilogies in history. Whether filmmakers were tackling sprawling sci-fi epics or pushing visual effects technology even further, many directors have acknowledged that Jackson’s achievements helped shape their own films in surprising ways.
Many big movies have a direct connection to The Lord of the Rings, but others’ connections aren’t always obvious on screen. For various elements of their films, numerous directors have looked to Jackson’s trilogy, and four huge blockbuster titles owe a lot more to The Lord of the Rings than fans may initially realize.
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Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Similarly Adapts a Challenging Novel
Denis Villeneuve’s two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune follows Paul Atreides as he becomes involved in a struggle for control of the desert planet Arrakis. Praised for its epic scale, performances, and visual ambition, the Dune movies have established themselves as some of the defining sci-fi blockbusters of this decade. Both Lord of the Rings and Dune translate famously challenging source material to the big screen. Despite already being an acclaimed director, Villeneuve was surprisingly intimidated by Herbert’s novel because of its density and complexity, but fortunately, Peter Jackson had provided a blueprint for tackling epic stories that both respected its source material while still succeeding as a major cinematic event. While speaking to Vanity Fair, Villeneuve said:
I tried my best to stay close to the spirit and to stay close aesthetically to something I had in mind when I read the book. I remember when I saw Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, where I felt so much respect for the book, so much love for the book.
Peter Jackson successfully translated Tolkien’s complex world, and Villeneuve took the same approach. Dune never shied away from the novel’s complex politics, culture, scorching environment, and massive architecture, and trusted audiences to immerse themselves in the world just as Jackson had trusted viewers to embrace Middle-earth. Dune, of course, doesn’t owe its story to Jackson, but its approach to adapting an “unfilmmable” classic owes a great deal to the path The Lord of the Rings forged years earlier.
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The Dark Knight Trilogy Had a Good Ending Because of The Lord of the Rings
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy transformed Batman into one of cinema’s most grounded and critically acclaimed superheroes. Spanning Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, the trilogy charted Batman’s rise, fall, and ultimate legacy while redefining the modern comic book movie. Nolan was hesitant to go on with the final installment in the series, and mentioned the rarity of a good third film. Surprisingly, he credited The Lord of the Rings with influencing how he approached concluding the trilogy. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, he shared the following thoughts:
I will cop to this: The Lord of the Rings trilogy was in the back of our minds the entire time… What Peter Jackson did was completely different. He had the whole story for all three films; he was physically capable of shooting it all at once…It’s one of the great achievements in movies.
Rather than borrowing mythology or visual effects, Nolan was inspired by Jackson’s ability to build each installment into something larger, while still delivering a satisfying conclusion. At a time when many franchises struggled to stick the landing, The Lord of the Rings became proof that audiences would embrace a carefully-planned trilogy with a definitive ending, and Nolan similarly released an epic superhero conclusion that gave Bruce Wayne an ambitious and emotionally resonant send-off.
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James Cameron Wanted Avatar’s Pandora to Mirror Middle-earth
James Cameron’s Avatar introduced audiences to the breathtaking world of Pandora, following former marine Jake Sully as he is caught between humanity’s mining operation and the Na’vi people. Released in 2009, Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time and transformed blockbuster filmmaking through its pioneering use of 3D and visual effects. Cameron wrote most of the script in 1994, but he felt that the technology at the time was not yet sufficient to bring about his vision, and although the sci-fi epic tells a completely different story, Cameron has openly compared his ambitions to Lord of the Rings. Speaking with Empire, Cameron said:
I was trying to do a simulation of, OK, I’m Peter Jackson making Lord of the Rings except Lord of the Rings doesn’t exist yet, so I need to go be Tolkien and create Lord of the Rings, and then I can go be Peter Jackson.
It’s clear that Cameron wanted to build an entirely new, lore-dense universe before adapting it to the scale Jackson brought to Lord of the Rings, since the fantasy trilogy succeeded by having Middle-earth function as an already-realized and fully fleshed-out world, not just a backdrop for the story. That influence can be clearly seen throughout Avatar, from Pandora’s intricate ecosystems and cultures to its long-term storytelling ambitions, which now spans three films.
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The Planet of the Apes Reboot Trilogy Owes Its Visuals to Lord of the Rings
Beginning with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 and concluding with War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017, Matt Reeves’ trilogy elevated the franchise into one of the most emotional sci-fi sagas. At its heart is Caesar, the genetically-enhanced ape whose leadership and humanity drive the story through themes of survival, family, and sacrifice. The trilogy owes an enormous debt to The Lord of the Rings, mostly behind the scenes. The Two Towers revolutionized filmmaking with Andy Serkis providing an on-set, real-time motion-capture performance as Gollum, and Matt Reeves’ trilogy similarly worked with Wētā FX to capture the apes on screen. Matt Reeves utilized the technology and the actor, Andy Serkis, to bring Caesar to life. At the 2014 WonderCon, Reeves described working with Wētā:
I was saying to WETA, ‘Wow, it’s amazing that you’re able to translate as much as you did. I would love in this film if you could translate even more.
Serkis delivered a phenomenal performance as Caesar, while the same creative and technical expertise that helped define Middle-earth laid the foundation for another one of cinema’s greatest visual effects achievements. Reeves similarly built entire emotional set pieces around these performances in the same way Jackson had with Gollum, and the result was a new standard for digital characters. Without The Lord of the Rings’ technical and creative breakthroughs, The Planet of the Apes trilogy’s impressive visuals simply wouldn’t have existed.
- Created by
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J. R. R. Tolkien
- Current Series
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- Where to watch
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HBO Max
- Movie(s)
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The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Video Game(s)
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The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe), LEGO Lord of the Rings, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-Earth
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.