This story was originally published on The Spinoff
Peter Jackson is bringing Lord of the Rings back to Wellington, producing two new Gollum films in Wellington. Madeleine Chapman (Gollum) argues with Madeleine Chapman (Smeagol) about it.
First of all, I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. Of course it’s great news!
I don’t know, it gives me the ick.
Well your ick isn’t going to create jobs for dozens, probably hundreds, of local creatives. Peter Jackson almost single-handedly built up the film sector in Wellington and even New Zealand as a whole. And now he’s doing it again when the sector is in dire need of a win. I don’t get why you’d begrudge him that.
That’s my problem, no one should “single-handedly” be doing anything to that scale. It’s worrying that the Wellington film sector seems to live and die by Jackson’s whims. How is that possible?
Well, he is a very influential person, which is a good thing. Some random director wouldn’t be able to pull as many strings as him to get big production companies basing huge projects here. We need powerful advocates like that.
Read on @The Spinoff
