The Lord of the Rings (film series) the series are fans of the book, including Christopher Lee, who (alone among the cast) had actually met Tolkien in person, and Boyens once noted that no matter what, it is simply their interpretation of the book. Jackson once said that to simply summarize the story on screen would be a mess, and in his own words, "Sure, it's not really "The Lord of the Rings"... but it could still be a pretty damn cool movie." Other fans also claim that, despite any changes, the films serve as a tribute to the book, appealing to those who have not yet
The Lord of the Rings (film series) negotiate with Saul Zaentz who had held the rights to the book since the early 1970s, pitching an adaptation of "The Hobbit" and two films based on "The Lord of the Rings". Negotiations then stalled when Universal Studios offered Jackson a remake of "King Kong". Weinstein was furious, and further problems arose when it turned out Zaentz did not have distribution rights to "The Hobbit"; United Artists, which was in the market, did. By April 1996, the rights question was still not resolved. Jackson decided to move ahead with "King Kong" before filming "The Lord of the Rings", prompting Universal