Wil Mara - Peter Jackson

P ublished in 20 5 by Cavendish Square P ublishing, LLC 243 5th A venue, Suite 1 36, New Y ork, NY 1 Copyright 20 5 by Cavendish Square P ublishing, LLC Fir st Edition No par t of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmit ted in an y form or by an y meanselectronic, mec hanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior permission of the copyright owner . R equest for permission should be addressed to P ermissions, Cavendish Square P ublishing, 243 5th A venue, Suite 1 36, New Y ork, NY 1 T el (877) 980-4450; fax (877) 980-4454. W ebsite: cavendishsq.com This publication represents the opinions and views of the author based on his or her per sonal experience, knowledge, and researc h. The information in this book serves as a general guide only . The author and publisher have used their best ef for ts in preparing this book and disclaim liability rising directly or indirectly from the use and application of this book. CPSIA Compliance Information: Batc h #WS1 4CSQ All websites were available and accurate when this book w as sent to press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-P ublication Data Mara, Wil. P eter J ac kson / Wil Mara. pages cm. (Great lmmak er s) Includes lmograph y . Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1 -6271 2-942-8 (hardco ver) ISBN 978-1 -6271 2-944-2 (ebook) . J ac kson, P eter , 1 -J uvenile literature. 2. Motion picture producer s and director sNew ZealandBiograph yJ uvenile literature. 3. S creen writer sNew ZealandBiograph y J uvenile literature. I. T itle. PN1 998.3.J26M38 20 .43023092dc23 [B] 03271 Editorial Director: Dean Miller S enior Designer: Am y Greenan Editor: Fletc her Doyle P roduction Manager: J ennifer R yder -T albot S enior Copy Editor: W endy A. R eynolds P roduction Editor: David McNamara Ar t Director: J ef frey T albot Photo R esearc her: J8 Media The photographs in this book are used by permission and through the cour tesy of: Co ver , 1, Mat t S ayles/In vision/AP; P aul K ennedy/L onely Planet Images/Get ty Images, 5; Ric hard E. Aaron/R edferns/Get ty Images, 8; pag adesign/E+/Get ty Images, 9, 26, 42, 46, 57 , 62, 66; www . demilk ed.com/free-paper -textures-bac k grounds, 9, 2627 , 4243, 4647 , 57 , 62, 66; S ergio S c hnitzler/Shut ter stoc k.com, 1 0; Silver S creen Collection/Mo viepix/Get ty Images, 1 2; Mic hael Oc hs Arc hi ves/Mo viepix/Get ty Images, 1 6; Mik e Theiss/National Geographic/Get ty Images, 1 7; Giulio Marcocc hi/Get ty Images, 1 9; KP A/Heritage Image/age footstoc k, 21; Photos 1 2/Alam y , 25; R ober t P at ter son/Get ty Images, 27; MIRAMAX/Album/Newscom, 29; AF arc hi ve/Alam y , 31; R ober t P at ter son/Get ty Images, 33; J oe S eer/Shut ter stoc k.com, 35; P ool/Get ty Images, 36; Photos 1 2/Alam y , 39; New Line/WireImage/Get ty Images, 41; ChameleonsEye/Shut ter stoc k. com, 43; KA THY HUTCHINS Photograph y/Newscom, 45; F rederic k M. Brown/Get ty Images, 47; AF arc hi ve/Alam y , 49; Hulton Arc hi ve/Mo viepix/Get ty Images, 50; AF arc hi ve/Alam y , 53; Photos 1 2/Alam y , 55; T roy W egman/Shut ter stoc k.com, 59; K evin Winter/Get ty Images, 61; Hagen Hopkins/Get ty Images, 62; Hagen Hopkins/Get ty Images, 66; R ex F eatures via AP Images, 67 . P rinted in the United States of America

Filmography Glossary Bibliography Source Notes Further Information Index About the Author GREA T FILMMAKERS

PETER J A CKSON the rising shores of P uk erua Bay . Although it w as small in siz e, the location w as beautiful and the community close and suppor ti veperfect, in other words, to raise a family . J oan J ac kson w as not able to have a c hild for an unusually long time, and at r st the J ac ksons were afraid that she might not be able to do so at all. Then, nally , P eter came along in 1 . Due to the dif culties of having a c hild so late in life (she w as well into her for ties by the time she g ave bir th to P eter), J oan would not have another baby . P eter w as gi ven great at tention and adoration as an only c hild, and yet by all accounts he did not become spoiled or selsh. R elati ves on both sides of his family had followed Bill and J oan to New Zealand and set tled close by , so he w as of ten with his cousins, aunts, and uncles, as well as his man y friends and neighbor s in the close-knit P uk erua Bay area. Since P uk erua w as reg arded as safe and secure, J ac kson and his companions were free to roam about and enjoy themselves. P eter w as also encouraged to let his imagination run wild. He w as extremely creati ve, and suc h an idyllic set ting pro vided the perfect bac kdrop for a future lmmak er . His parents were both able storyteller s, reg aling him with vi vid tales of their experiences in W orld W ar II bac k in England. His father had work ed for the R oyal Arm y Ordnance Corps, where he d repaired and maintained everything from weaponry and ammunition to uniforms and more. His mother also had stories to share, as she d helped the w ar ef for t by building airplanes and munitions for the famed de Havilland Aircraf t Compan y . As a result, young P eter w as fascinated with w ar tales, and w as par ticularly respectful of the sacrices that had been made by

A MOST WONDERFUL CHILDHOOD the Allies to assure victory ag ainst Hitler s German y and Hirohito s J apan. P eter J ac kson s r st contact with the industry that would mak e him famous w as an af ternoon spent at a mo vie theater when he w as about six or seven w atc hing a special screening of an old 1 957 lm called Noddy in T oyland . Noddy , the main c haracter , w as the creation of a c hildren s author named Enid Blyton, and the story w as originally intended as a stage production. Noddy in T oyland w as lit tle more than the lmed ver sion of a play . F or the most par t, the lm w as dislik ed by critics and audiences. P eter , however , w as enthralled by the whole experience of being able to escape the real world for an hour or two and be car ried of f into one of fantasy and fascination. Eac h subsequent visit to the mo vies simply added to his enthusiasm and his curiosity . When J ac kson saw things on the screen that seemed impossible in reality , he beg an to under stand the concept of special ef fectsand he wondered if he could create his own. When his parents bought their r st television in the mid 1 960sa basic blac k-and-white model P eter w as equally excited. T o him, it w as akin to having a per sonal mo vie theater . He and his father would w atc h it together , enjoying w ar mo vies as well as television shows suc h as Monty Python s Flying Circus . P eter also developed a fondness for action programs aimed at youngster s, with one of his fav orites being a show called Thunderbirds. Filmed between 1 964 and 1 966, Thunderbirds focused