The Lord Of The Rings trilogy made over $1 billion worldwide and won over millions of fans with its impressive adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels.
But there was at least one person who didn't exactly love watching the three films in the franchise — the director, Peter Jackson.
Sir Peter Jackson attends a photocall for The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armie on December 3, 2014 in London, England. Photo / Getty
Speaking to news.com.au, the New Zealand filmmaker admitted that the fact he "couldn't enjoy" the movies he'd created was a big factor in him weighing up whether to keep his distance from Amazon's new Lord Of The Rings TV series.
"I'm conflicted, because I'd love to help (the new Rings team) and the Tolkien thing has been in our blood for so long," Jackson said.
"But at the same time, there's a part of me that would love to put the TV on and watch a series that I hadn't been part of, because I'd get to enjoy it like I couldn't enjoy our films."
It's been 15 years since the release of The Return Of The King — the third and final chapter in the franchise — which, considering the trio of movies took Jackson and his team eight years to produce, isn't all that long.
So when news broke that Amazon had secured the rights to Middle Earth (at an eye-watering cost of around $339 million) for a TV series, plenty of fans were convinced it was way too soon.
"We've got a very open mind about it," he told news.com.au, confirming that the producers of the new series had already contacted him about being involved.
"We're (Jackson and fellow Rings screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) not really able to write an entire TV series, we haven't got time, but we're certainly happy to help if they need our help.
"We've had a conversation with them, and really, they're just working on scripts at the moment, so we'll see what happens.
"But I'm sure they'll do a great job, and if there's anything we can do to help, then we certainly will."
The renowned director — who's currently promoting Mortal Engines, for which he was a producer — also explained why the complex story of Lord Of The Rings was such a phenomenal success when it transitioned onto the big screen.
"From a very basic practical point of view, the thing with Tolkien that you have as an advantage is that he didn't just write a story of the hobbits doing what they're doing — he created an entire world," Jackson said.
"You can read massive amounts of material about Middle Earth that's not got anything to do with what the film is — it actually allows you to go into this world.
"You can make people feel that there's a lot more going on than what's on screen — we weren't having to make things up."
