Peter Jackson

The digital transformation of First World War archive footage in They Shall Not Grow Old was praised by audiences but strongly debated among archivists and historians. Criticism concerned colourisation, added frames, reframing, the term "restoration", the obscuring of prior work by Imperial War Museums, and the focus on a white British male experience.

State of the evidence

archivists' criticism and academic research documented

Legal status — source text

no judicial proceedings

Attribution

direct artistic responsibility as director and promoter of the digital transformations

Peter Jackson opposed the Shelly Bay property development for several years. His companies contributed NZ$30,000 to the mayoral campaign of Andy Foster, an opponent of the project, and WingNut Films agreed to finance certain costs of legal action brought by an iwi group. In 2023, Jackson and Fran Walsh purchased the land, ending the housing project.

State of the evidence

electoral donations, litigation funding and final purchase documented

Legal status — source text

funding described as lawful; no personal conviction

Attribution

direct responsibility for donations, litigation funding and public opposition to the project

Following a 1News investigation reporting numerous accounts of bullying, sexism, harassment and circulation of pornography at Weta Digital, its owners, including Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, commissioned an independent review. Miriam Dean QC concluded that management and HR systems were not sufficiently mature to protect employees adequately and made 17 recommendations.

State of the evidence

employee testimony and independent review documented

Legal status — source text

no allegation of personal harassment against Peter Jackson; independent internal review, not a conviction

Attribution

governance responsibility as co-founder/owner; individual misconduct not personally attributed

The film museum project associated with Peter Jackson and planned for Wellington's convention centre was abandoned in 2018 following disagreements with the city council over cost allocation, payments and fitting out the premises. Published documents revealed difficult negotiations and several attempts by the council to obtain a firm commitment.

State of the evidence

municipal documents and project abandonment documented

Legal status — source text

no criminal proceedings or finding of personal irregularity

Attribution

direct responsibility as principal private promoter of the project alongside his partners

In 2017, Jackson said that Miramax had described Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino as difficult to work with during the development of The Lord of the Rings, leading his team to exclude them. After #MeToo, he considered that Harvey Weinstein had used him in a smear campaign.

State of the evidence

Jackson's public testimony and reactions documented

Legal status — source text

Jackson was a potential witness; no knowing act of harassment or retaliation established against him

Attribution

Jackson acknowledges removing the actresses from a casting list based on information received from Miramax; he maintains that he was misled

The dispute over employment conditions for actors in The Hobbit led the New Zealand government to urgently amend legislation to clarify the independent contractor status of film workers. Documents subsequently released showed that Peter Jackson and Warner Bros continued to press for legislative change after the union boycott had been lifted.

State of the evidence

union boycott, government negotiations and published official documents

Legal status — source text

no personal criminal proceedings against Peter Jackson

Attribution

documented personal responsibility for lobbying to secure filming; no personal illegality established

Animal handlers claimed that horses, goats, sheep and chickens connected with The Hobbit production had died because of dangerous conditions at an accommodation farm. The production acknowledged several deaths and stated that two horse deaths might have been prevented, while rejecting allegations that 27 animals had died as a result of mistreatment.

State of the evidence

acknowledged animal deaths and allegations by handlers documented; causes and responsibility disputed

Legal status — source text

no personal conviction of Peter Jackson identified

Attribution

producer/director and production responsibility; no personal act of animal mistreatment attributed to Jackson

Peter Jackson sued New Line Cinema over revenues from The Fellowship of the Ring, alleging, among other things, licensing agreements between related companies and potential underpayment estimated by his lawyers at up to approximately 100 million dollars.

State of the evidence

federal complaint and settlement documented

Legal status — source text

litigation settled in 2007; settlement terms not public

Attribution

Jackson and WingNut Films were claimants alleging that New Line had undervalued certain revenues

Person targeted by the proceedings

New Line

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted