• Peter Jackson says Todd Phillips’ Joker — specifically its deep dive into Arthur Fleck’s psychology — inspired the approach to The Hunt for Gollum
• The film, directed by Andy Serkis, is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and follows Aragorn tracking Gollum on Gandalf’s orders
• Jackson is producing but deliberately stepped back from directing, believing Serkis knows the character better than anyone
• The story draws from the appendices of Tolkien’s novels, covering Gollum’s childhood, his addiction, and his eventual capture in Mordor
• The Hunt for Gollum hits theaters December 17, 2027

Peter Jackson has a pretty unexpected touchstone for his return to Middle-earth — and it involves Joaquin Phoenix in facepaint.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who is producing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, told IndieWire that Todd Phillips’ 2019 origin story Joker served as a key inspiration for the upcoming film — specifically the way it burrowed deep into a character’s fractured psychology while still telling a coherent story.

“We were thinking about the original Joker film, the one with Joaquin Phoenix,” Jackson said. “The way that explored the Joker’s psychology while it was telling a story. We’ve got the story that’s in the appendices, and we’ll tell that story, but we’ll tell it from an internal Gollum perspective. You’re taking written things by Tolkien and filming them from a certain POV, and that means you have to get inside his head.”

Then, with a laugh: “I’ve got no particular desire to get inside Gollum’s head. Andy Serkis can do that himself.”

What the Film Is Actually About

Set in the gap between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Hunt for Gollum follows Aragorn, tasked by Gandalf to track the creature down before Sauron can learn from him the location of the One Ring. But the film’s emotional core runs deeper than a chase story.

Jackson explained that the source material comes from the appendices tucked at the back of Tolkien’s novels — fifty or sixty pages of notes, backstory, and side narratives that never made it into the main text.

“The Lord of the Rings has got these big appendices at the end,” he said. “Little side stories, embellishments, enlargements — and part of The Hunt for Gollum is described in that. Gollum’s childhood and how he became what he was. Him trying to get to the Shire, and the Rangers tracking him down. He ends up being captured and taken to Mordor — it’s all in the appendices.”

The production is legally cleared to adapt anything from the Lord of the Rings books, Jackson confirmed — a meaningful distinction given the complicated rights landscape around Tolkien’s work. A second film, The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, co-written by Stephen Colbert, is also in the pipeline and will adapt unseen elements from The Fellowship of the Ring via flashback.

Why Jackson Handed the Camera to Serkis

After directing six films set in Middle-earth across the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, Jackson made the deliberate choice to step back from the director’s chair — and his reasoning is genuinely hard to argue with.

“I could have directed it, but I thought, ‘I’ve done that,'” he told Deadline at Cannes, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or earlier this week. “The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it.”

He expanded on that to IndieWire: “I honestly, truly believe that if it’s a film about Gollum’s addiction and internal struggles, Andy would make a much more interesting film than me. If I thought I’d do a better film, I’d do it. But I thought, there’s a guy that’s going to make a really interesting film here and it’s not me.”

The logic is hard to dispute. Serkis has inhabited Gollum across multiple films, building a performance that became a landmark in motion-capture acting. He’s also an experienced director in his own right, having helmed Venom: Let There Be Carnage and an adaptation of Animal Farm. Jackson says he’s fully stepping aside — not hovering. “I’m here to help where I can. But I don’t interfere. I’ve given him as much freedom as I can.”

Serkis putting Gollum’s psychology on screen from the inside out, drawing on two decades of living with that character — if the Joker comparison holds, that’s a genuinely compelling proposition. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum opens December 17, 2027.

The post Peter Jackson Reveals Joker Inspired The Hunt for Gollum appeared first on Cream.

• Stephen Colbert pitched his Lord of the Rings sequel idea to Peter Jackson a full year before CBS canceled The Late Show.
• The film, currently titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, is co-written by Colbert, his son Peter McGee, and longtime Jackson collaborator Philippa Boyens.
• Jackson says Colbert has helped him process the shock of losing his show — calling the LOTR project a “blessing in disguise.”
• The sequel is set 14 years after Frodo’s passing and follows Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Sam’s daughter Elanor on a new adventure.
• Colbert traveled to New Zealand to work with Jackson’s team and has spent a year developing the treatment.

Long before CBS pulled the plug on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert was already quietly building himself a second act in Middle-earth. Peter Jackson revealed at the Cannes Film Festival — where he was honored with a Palme d’Or on opening night — that Colbert called him up a full year ago with an idea for a new Tolkien film, well before either of them had any idea the late-night era of his career was about to end.

“He phoned me up a year ago — before he knew his show was going to finish — and said, ‘I don’t know if you’re interesting, but I’ve got an idea for a Tolkien movie based on the books that I think would be really good,'” Jackson told Variety. Jackson was sold. He liked the pitch enough to connect Colbert with Philippa Boyens — the screenwriter who co-wrote both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies with him — and the three of them have been working on a treatment ever since. Colbert even flew to New Zealand to be closer to the team.

Then, right in the middle of all that, CBS canceled The Late Show.

Jackson didn’t mince words about how he felt about that decision, saying it wasn’t what the show or Colbert “deserved.” But he also sees a silver lining. Having a project this big waiting in the wings — something Colbert had been building quietly for a year — turned a gut punch into something more manageable.

“I think Stephen’s actually really happy — I think it helped him process what was a rather shocking,” Jackson said. “So it was like, okay, one day he’s going to be a late-night talk show host, and the next day he’s going to be a Tolkien scriptwriter.”

Jackson also made clear just how seriously he takes Colbert as a Tolkien authority. “I’ve never met anyone who knows more about Tolkien,” he said — high praise from the man who spent over a decade adapting the books for the screen.

What the Movie Is Actually About

The film currently carries the working title The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, and its official logline gives fans a real sense of what Colbert, his son Peter McGee, and Boyens have been building. Set fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, the story follows Sam, Merry, and Pippin as they set out to retrace the first steps of their original adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter Elanor uncovers a long-buried secret — one that reveals the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it ever truly began.

It’s a sequel, not a prequel — which makes it a different beast from the other new LOTR film in development. That one, The Hunt for Gollum, is directed by Andy Serkis and is set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Colbert’s film will follow Serkis’ in the pipeline, though no release date has been set yet.

This Isn’t Colbert’s First Trip to Middle-earth

None of this came out of nowhere. Colbert has long been one of Hollywood’s most devoted Tolkien fans, and his connection to Jackson is real and established. He had a small role in 2013’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and in 2019 he directed Jackson — along with Lord of the Rings stars Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Wood — in the short film Darrylgorn, set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. It was Colbert who leveraged that existing relationship to make the call that started all of this.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs its final episode on May 21, 2026. And when that chapter closes, it sounds like Colbert already knows exactly where he’s headed next.

The post Colbert Pitched His LOTR Movie Before Late Show Was Canceled appeared first on Cream.

• Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony on May 12
• Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the LOTR trilogy, presented the award and gave an emotional speech
• Jackson admitted he was shocked, saying “I just don’t make Palme d’Or-type films”
• The honor comes on the 25th anniversary of Jackson screening Lord of the Rings footage at Cannes — a moment he says saved the franchise
• Jackson also weighed in on AI in film and explained why Andy Serkis, not him, is directing the upcoming Hunt for Gollum

Peter Jackson has never had a film in Cannes competition. He makes giant, sprawling, genre-defying epics about hobbits and Beatles and brain-splattered aliens in New Zealand. He wore a tuxedo shirt to his own honorary Palme d’Or ceremony — and almost paired it with shorts, just to see what would happen.

None of that stopped the 79th Cannes Film Festival from honoring the director with one of cinema’s most prestigious awards Tuesday night, and honestly? The whole thing felt exactly right.

Jackson, 64, received the Honorary Palme d’Or during the festival’s opening ceremony at the Palais’ Grand Lumière Theatre, presented by none other than Elijah Wood — the actor who played Frodo Baggins in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and who, by his own account, had his entire life rerouted the moment he got that casting call.

Elijah Wood’s Speech Will Make You Feel Things

Wood, 45, took the stage with his wife, Danish film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved, by his side. What followed was one of those rare award ceremony speeches that actually earns its standing ovation.

He described how Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh had flown to Los Angeles after watching a VHS audition tape Wood had filmed with friends in the woods of Griffith Park. “I walked into Victoria Burrows’ casting office and there they were, Pete and Fran, together as they’d been for almost every day since they first met sometime in the late ’80s,” Wood said.

“And when, a little while later, the call came that I was going to be Frodo Baggins, I sat down on the floor of my bedroom and I understood with the whole of my being that my life had just been divided into before and after. And I know I’m far from the only person who has had their life changed by Peter Jackson.”

He continued: “Peter grew up in a country that back then barely had a film industry at all. But in true Pete fashion, that was not about to hold him back. You showed the world something it had never seen before, and nothing was ever the same. He helped build an entirely new filmmaking culture at the far edge of the world.”

Jackson accepted the trophy with a hug and immediately lightened the mood, noting that he’d “grown a little bit of facial hair” since they first met 27 years ago and joking that Wood’s cheekbones might qualify him for a Gone With the Wind remake.

How Cannes Saved The Lord of the Rings

Jackson’s history with Cannes is a full-circle story 38 years in the making. He first came to the festival marketplace in 1988 with his debut feature Bad Taste, a splatter comedy he’d shot on weekends over four years while working as a photo engraver back home in New Zealand. “If the film hadn’t sold well at the marketplace here, I would have gone back to New Zealand to my photo engraver job,” he told the crowd. “Fortunately, it sold really well. It started my career.”

The second visit, in 2001, was higher stakes and more fraught. Jackson and New Line Cinema had just finished shooting all three Lord of the Rings films simultaneously — an enormous, unprecedented gamble — and the press was not being kind. The AOL-Time Warner merger had thrown Warner Bros. into chaos, and the dominant media narrative was that this massive fantasy trilogy was going to be a catastrophic failure.

New Line founder Bob Shaye decided to do something about it. He rushed 20 minutes of footage from The Fellowship of the Ring to Cannes, screened it, and threw a party at a castle in the hills. The reception was rapturous. The story changed overnight.

“Bob’s great gamble really changed the perception of the film,” Jackson said. “And for me obviously, it was a life-changing thing. So by the time the film came out there was an anticipation that there wouldn’t have been if not for Cannes.”

That franchise ultimately won 17 Oscars. Tuesday night, it brought Jackson back to the Croisette for his third visit — this time to collect a Palme.

“I Just Don’t Make Palme d’Or-Type Films”

At a public masterclass the following day in the Debussy Theatre, Jackson was characteristically self-deprecating about the whole thing. He said receiving the honorary Palme felt about as likely as winning an award for bellydancing.

“I just don’t make Palme d’Or-type films,” he said, grinning. “I really like the idea of having a Palme d’Or without having to make a film.”

Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux had framed the honor rather more grandly before the festival: “There is clearly a before and an after Peter Jackson. Larger-than-life cinema is his trademark, and his all-encompassing art of entertainment is particularly ambitious. Peter Jackson is not only a great technician; he is above all a tremendous storyteller. And an unpredictable artist: what will his next universe be?”

Jackson admitted he was very tempted to wear a tuxedo jacket with shorts to the ceremony — a small act of rebellion against Cannes’ notoriously strict dress code — but ultimately “didn’t have the courage.”

The masterclass also surfaced a gem from his early career: multiple clips from his work were screened, including Heavenly Creatures, the 1994 film that gave a young Kate Winslet her feature debut. Jackson played a tramp who ends up in a scene with her. “I realized I gave Kate Winslet her first screen kiss,” he said, joking that he must have set the bar pretty high.

Why Andy Serkis Is Directing The Hunt for Gollum — Not Jackson

Naturally, conversation turned to what’s next for Middle-earth. The upcoming The Hunt for Gollum, which will see Andy Serkis both direct and reprise his iconic role, has been a topic of fan curiosity since it was announced. Jackson addressed the question of why he stepped aside directly.

“The film is about Gollum’s psychological and addiction,” he explained. “I thought, ‘Andy knows this guy better than anybody.’ The most exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis makes it.”

And speaking of Serkis, Jackson had strong feelings about the long-running debate over whether motion-capture performances deserve awards recognition. He thinks the current anxiety around AI is making a complicated situation worse.

“A lot of the current environment, everyone’s so worried about AI … I don’t think a Gollum-type character or a generated character has any hope for winning any awards,” he said. “Which is a bit unfair, especially in the Andy Serkis case where it’s not an AI-generated performance, it’s a human-generated performance 100% of the way.”

On AI itself, Jackson was more nuanced than the headline might suggest. “I mean, to me, it’s just a special effect. It’s no different from other special effects.” But he was clear that protecting actors’ rights is non-negotiable. “It’s absolutely critical” to prevent likenesses being stolen and used without permission, he said — though licensed use, in his view, is a different matter entirely. He did add, with a laugh, that AI is “going to destroy the world.”

A Night That Belonged to Jackson — and New Zealand

After Jackson’s speech, the ceremony had one more surprise in store. A clip from his Beatles documentary Get Back flashed on screen, and then French-Congolese singer Theodora and French singer-songwriter Oklou walked out to perform “Get Back” live. Jackson bopped his head, clapped along, and sang every word.

The Honorary Palme has gone to some extraordinary names this decade — Marco Bellocchio, George Lucas, Studio Ghibli, Jodie Foster, Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Michael Douglas. Barbra Streisand will receive this year’s second Honorary Palme at the closing ceremony on May 23.

Jackson joins that list as the rare honoree who never competed at Cannes, never made the kind of film Cannes typically celebrates — and yet somehow, the festival owes him as much as he owes it.

“The two times that I came before were monumental times,” he said of his 1988 and 2001 visits. This one, he called “profound.”

The post Peter Jackson Gets Honorary Palme d’Or From Elijah Wood at Cannes appeared first on Cream.

• Peter Jackson confirmed at Cannes Film Festival that a sequel to The Adventures of Tintin is officially in development
• Jackson is writing the screenplay himself and plans to direct the film
• The original 2011 film was directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Jackson
• Fans have waited 15 years for a follow-up after the first film performed well at the box office

The wait is finally over. Peter Jackson confirmed at the Cannes Film Festival that a sequel to The Adventures of Tintin is happening — and this time, he’s stepping into the director’s chair himself.

It’s been 15 years since the first film arrived in theaters. Steven Spielberg directed that 2011 motion-capture adventure, with Jackson producing alongside him, and the two had always talked about swapping roles for a follow-up. Now, finally, Jackson says he’s actively working on the screenplay and intends to direct the picture himself.

The original film was a genuine crowd-pleaser — a visually inventive, globe-trotting caper that brought Hergé’s beloved comic-strip reporter to life with a level of energy that felt unmistakably Spielbergian. It earned over $370 million worldwide and won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. And yet, despite the goodwill and the clear appetite for more, a sequel never came. Development stalled, years passed, and Tintin quietly became one of cinema’s most famous cases of a sequel that was always “coming soon” but never quite arriving.

Why It Took So Long — and Why It’s Happening Now

Both Spielberg and Jackson have been among the busiest filmmakers in Hollywood over the past decade and a half, which goes a long way toward explaining the gap. Spielberg alone has kept an extraordinary pace — he’s currently putting the finishing touches on Disclosure Day, his upcoming alien-invasion film, while also developing what he’s described as his first-ever Western. Jackson, meanwhile, had his own slate of ambitious projects to work through.

But the Cannes announcement signals that the sequel has moved from wishful thinking to genuine momentum. Jackson is writing the script. He plans to direct. That’s not a rumor or a vague expression of interest — that’s a filmmaker committing publicly, at one of the world’s most visible film stages, to making it happen.

For fans of the original, and for the generations who grew up reading Hergé’s comics, this is the news they’ve been waiting for since the credits rolled in 2011. Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, and the rest of the gang are coming back — just with a different visionary at the helm this time.

The post Peter Jackson Confirms Tintin Sequel Is Finally Happening appeared first on Cream.

• Peter Jackson explained at Cannes why Andy Serkis — not him — is directing The Hunt for Gollum
• Jackson says the film is about “Gollum’s psychology and addiction” and Serkis knows the character better than anyone
• Jackson also argued that AI fears in Hollywood are unfairly hurting Serkis’s chances of ever winning awards for the role
• Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, and Lee Pace are returning; Jamie Dornan replaces Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
• The Hunt for Gollum is set for December 17, 2027

Peter Jackson had a simple answer when asked why he wasn’t stepping behind the camera for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. “I could have directed it,” he said at his Cannes Film Festival masterclass this week, “but I thought, I’ve done that.”

The three-time Oscar winner — who picked up an honorary Palme d’Or at the festival’s opening ceremony the night before — didn’t take long to land on the only person who made sense for the job. “Andy knows this guy better than anybody,” Jackson said. “I didn’t think about me. The more exciting version of this movie is if Andy Serkis made it.”

It’s hard to argue with that logic. Serkis has played Gollum across six Middle-earth films. He invented the character from the inside out — the physicality, the fractured psychology, the tragedy of a creature consumed by something he can’t let go of. Jackson is giving him the keys and stepping back. “I’m leaving it to him. I’m here to help where I can. But I don’t interfere. I’ve given him as much freedom as I can.”

The film itself, Jackson teased, is less an action-adventure and more of an intimate character study. “It’s an internal story about Gollum’s psychology and addiction,” he said. “It’s a personal story to Gollum.” Set in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the story follows the hunt for the fallen hobbit — with Gandalf and Aragorn tracking him down to learn where the One Ring ended up, while Sauron’s forces pursue them in return.

The Cast Coming Back to Middle-earth

Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, and he’s been refreshingly candid about the whole thing. “I’m going back to do more Gandalf,” McKellen said at a recent Q&A. “Who would have thought there was more? The person who thought there was more was Andy Serkis, and he’s going to be directing Gollum’s early life.” Even the wizard didn’t see this one coming.

Elijah Wood is back as Frodo — he was the one who presented Jackson with his honorary Palme on Tuesday night, telling the audience: “You showed the world something it had never seen before, and nothing was ever the same. He helped build an entirely new filmmaking culture at the far edge of the world.” Lee Pace returns from The Hobbit trilogy as elven king Thranduil. The one notable absence: Viggo Mortensen won’t reprise Aragorn. Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan steps into the role instead.

Shooting is set to begin in New Zealand — naturally — ahead of the December 17, 2027 release date.

The Oscar Problem No One Wants to Talk About

Away from the new film, Jackson raised something that’s been quietly frustrating fans of Serkis for years: the fact that one of cinema’s most technically and emotionally demanding performances has never come close to awards recognition — and Jackson thinks the current AI panic is making it worse.

“A lot of the current environment, everyone’s so worried about AI,” he said. “I don’t think a Gollum-type character or a generated character has any hope for winning any awards. Which is a bit unfair, especially in the Andy Serkis case where it’s not an AI-generated performance, it’s a human-generated performance 100% of the way.”

Jackson’s own view on AI in film is more nuanced than the current discourse tends to allow. “I don’t dislike it at all,” he said. “To me, it’s just a special effect. It’s no different from other special effects.” The line he draws is clear though: consent and licensing matter. “If you’re doing an AI duplicate of somebody, like Indiana Jones or anyone else, as long as you’ve licensed the rights off the person who you’re showing, I don’t see the issue. It’s when people’s likenesses get stolen and usurped.”

But the blurring of AI-generated imagery and performance-capture work — two very different things — is doing real damage to how the industry values what Serkis does. Jackson clearly feels that, even if he’s characteristically measured about it.

A Legacy That Started Right Here at Cannes

There’s a neat circularity to Jackson receiving his honorary Palme at Cannes this year. Twenty-five years ago, it was Cannes where everything changed for him. New Line Cinema had bet over $270 million on three Lord of the Rings films simultaneously — a gamble widely mocked in the press as reckless, possibly catastrophic. Then Jackson screened 26 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring footage on the Croisette in 2001, and the conversation shifted overnight.

Ian McKellen, writing in a blog at the time, put it simply: “With relief and some excitement I can report that Peter Jackson’s images not only look convincing, they look stunning.” Festival director Thierry Frémaux, announcing this year’s honorary Palme, said there is “clearly a before and an after Peter Jackson. Larger-than-life cinema is his trademark, and his all-encompassing art of entertainment is particularly ambitious. He has permanently transformed Hollywood cinema and its conception of the spectacle.”

Jackson recalled in his speech that the 2001 Cannes screening “changed the perception of the film” — and with it, the perception of what blockbuster filmmaking could be.

Now, a quarter-century later, he’s handing that world to someone else to expand. And if his instincts about Andy Serkis are right — and they usually are — Middle-earth might have its most personal story yet still to tell.

The post Why Peter Jackson Let Andy Serkis Direct Hunt for Gollum appeared first on Cream.

• The 79th Cannes Film Festival kicked off Tuesday, May 12, running through May 23 when the Palme d’Or will be awarded
• Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or, introduced by Elijah Wood — his Frodo Baggins — in a genuinely moving ceremony moment
• Jane Fonda, 88, and Gong Li officially opened the festival with Fonda delivering a fiery speech about cinema as resistance
• Jury president Park Chan-wook and screenwriter Paul Laverty didn’t hold back on politics, with Laverty calling out Hollywood for “blacklisting” Gaza critics
• James Franco made a surprise appearance on the red carpet, and Guillermo del Toro returned with a 4K restoration of Pan’s Labyrinth

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday on the French Riviera with the kind of night that reminded everyone why this festival still matters — part glamour, part provocation, part genuine cinematic love letter. Twelve days of premieres are now officially underway, all building toward the Palme d’Or ceremony on May 23.

The Grand Théâtre Lumière hosted the opening ceremony, led by French-Malian actress Eye Haïdara, and from the very first moments it was clear this wouldn’t be a quiet, self-congratulatory affair. There was a massive backdrop of Thelma and Louise — this year’s festival poster — looming over the stage. There were political speeches. There was a blood-red, slightly eerie performance of the Beatles’ “Get Back.” And yes, James Franco was there.

Peter Jackson’s Honorary Palme d’Or — and a Beatles Serenade

The emotional centerpiece of the evening was the tribute to Peter Jackson, who received an honorary Palme d’Or for a career that includes, among other things, convincing the world that three very long films about hobbits were a good idea. Elijah Wood — who played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy — introduced his director with warmth, speaking about how even Jackson’s most technically massive, complicated films are always, at their core, infused with heart.

Jackson, shaggy-haired and characteristically self-deprecating, took the stage and immediately made the room laugh. “I’ve never figured out why I’m getting a Palme d’Or,” he said. “I’m not a Palme d’Or sorta guy.” He also recalled previewing footage from the Lord of the Rings at Cannes back in 2001, when plenty of skeptics thought the whole thing might be a wildly expensive disaster — and credited the festival’s early support with helping silence those doubts. His best line of the night: the award was, he joked, “Cannes’s apology for not giving Bad Taste the Palme d’Or in 1988.”

Jackson was then serenaded with “Get Back” — a nod to his acclaimed 2021 Beatles documentary — and sat stage right mouthing the words. The performance, delivered by two French women against blood-red lighting, was reportedly a little unsettling in person, but the sentiment landed. Peter Jackson’s kids, Billy and Katie, were in the audience to share the moment. Elijah Wood brought his wife, Mette-Marie Kongsved.

Jane Fonda Gets Fiery, Gong Li Brings the Elegance

The honor of officially declaring the 79th Cannes Film Festival open went to two icons: Jane Fonda, 88, and Chinese-Singaporean actress Gong Li. Fonda, wearing Gucci, wasted no time going there.

“I believe that cinema has always been an act of resistance because we tell the stories and stories are what make a civilization,” she said from the stage. “Stories that bring empathy to the marginalized, stories that allow us to feel across difference, stories that let us see that there is an alternative future that is possible. Standing beside Li tonight, I’m reminded why this festival matters. Here in Cannes, story comes first — the courage to tell it comes first. So let’s celebrate audacity, freedom, and the fierce act of creation.”

It was the kind of speech that gets a standing ovation. And it set the tone for what followed.

The Jury Didn’t Come to Make Nice

The jury introduction — where the nine members who will decide the Palme d’Or are formally presented to the world — turned into one of the more charged moments of the night. Jury president Park Chan-wook, the South Korean filmmaker behind Oldboy and No Other Choice, is the first Korean jury president in Cannes history. He spoke about the weight of judging 22 films in competition with “thoughtfulness,” and offered a line that’s already being quoted widely: “Art and politics are not concepts that are in conflict with each other. One cannot disqualify a film on the pretext that it has a political message. Just as one cannot reject a film because it would not be political enough.”

He also referenced a conversation with fellow jury member Paul Laverty — the Scottish screenwriter who has long collaborated with director Ken Loach — about whether creative partners fight or argue. “I asked Paul Laverty over there if he fought a lot with Ken Loach when they were working together, and he said, ‘We argued a lot but we didn’t fight,'” Park said. “Our jurors will do the same. To everyone here today, I sincerely hope that you don’t fight with the people around you, but you argue sufficiently.”

Laverty himself was more blunt. Pointing to the Thelma and Louise festival poster, he invoked what he called “genocide in Gaza” and quoted King Lear: “Madmen lead the blind.” Then he called out Hollywood directly. “Isn’t it fascinating to see some of them like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza?” he said. “Shame on Hollywood people who do that.”

The rest of the nine-member jury includes Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, and Isaach De Bankolé. And then there’s Demi Moore — who two years ago was celebrated at this very festival for her comeback performance in The Substance, and who showed up Tuesday night in a custom Jacquemus corset gown with Chopard jewelry, looking every bit like someone who’s made her peace with the Croisette.

James Franco, Guillermo del Toro, and the Rest of Day One

Cannes has a long history of welcoming figures who’ve had a complicated reception back home — the festival famously opened in 2023 with a Johnny Depp film. Tuesday’s equivalent was James Franco, 48, who turned up at the opening ceremony in a Giorgio Armani tuxedo alongside girlfriend Izabel Pakzad. Franco also attended in 2024. In 2021, he and co-defendants settled a lawsuit for $2.2 million over allegations involving students at an acting school he founded.

On a warmer note, Guillermo del Toro returned to the Croisette to screen a 4K restoration of Pan’s Labyrinth, exactly 20 years after the film premiered here. The dark fantasy — about a young girl and a fascist military captain in 1940s Spain — has only grown more resonant, and del Toro said as much. “We are, unfortunately, in times that make this movie more pertinent than ever because they tell us everything is useless to resist, that art can be done with a f—ing app,” he said.

The opening film screened that evening was Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus Électrique (also known as The Electric Kiss), with the ceremony itself closed out by a performance from Theodora and Oklou.

The Fashion, Even Without the Usual Hollywood Crowd

This year’s festival has noticeably fewer big American titles in competition — only two U.S. films made the lineup — which means the usual parade of Hollywood A-listers is thinner than normal. But the red carpet held its own. Moore’s custom Jacquemus was a standout. Heidi Klum arrived in Elie Saab Couture. Emily in Paris star Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu wore an airy purple Saint Laurent gown by Antony Vaccarello. Maika Monroe stepped out in Ashi Studio. Maura Higgins of The Traitors wore Andrew Kwon.

Over the next two weeks, the Croisette is expected to draw Scarlett Johansson (whose new film Paper Tiger, co-starring Adam Driver and Miles Teller, is in the lineup), Rami Malek, Javier Bardem, Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve, Sebastian Stan, Charles Melton, and Sandra Hüller. Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close are expected for The Black Ball. Anticipated filmmakers include Pedro Almodóvar, James Gray, Cristian Mungiu, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Diego Luna.

The Palme d’Or will be awarded May 23. Park Chan-wook has his jury. The films are queued up. And if day one is any indication, nobody came here to stay quiet.

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The post Cannes 2026 Opening Day: Every Big Moment appeared first on Cream.

• Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony on May 12
• Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, presented the award with a heartfelt personal tribute
• Jackson revealed how a 2001 Cannes screening of 20 minutes of Fellowship of the Ring footage saved the franchise from a bad press cycle
• Jackson joins past honorary Palme recipients including Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster and Tom Cruise
• The 79th Cannes Film Festival runs through May 23, with 22 films competing for the Palme d’Or

Peter Jackson walked into the Grand Lumière Theatre at the Palais des Festivals on Tuesday night and walked out a Palme d’Or man — even if he’s still not entirely sure he deserves to be one.

“I’ve still got to work out why I am getting a Palme d’Or,” the beloved New Zealand filmmaker, 64, quipped to the crowd. “I am not a Palme d’Or type of guy.” The room, of course, disagreed — and gave him a standing ovation anyway.

The honorary prize was presented by the person perhaps best positioned to give it: Elijah Wood, who at 18 years old stepped into a casting office and came out as Frodo Baggins. The two haven’t just made movie history together — they’ve been close ever since. And on the opening night of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, Wood made that abundantly clear.

“My Life Had Just Been Divided Into Before and After”

Wood, 45, took the stage and told the story of how it all began — with a homemade VHS tape filmed in the woods of Griffith Park. Jackson and his longtime partner and collaborator Fran Walsh had flown to Los Angeles specifically to meet the young actor who’d sent it in.

“I walked into Victoria Burrows’ casting office and there they were, Pete and Fran, together as they’d been for almost every day since they first met sometime in the late ’80s,” Wood told the audience. “And when, a little while later, the call came that I was going to be Frodo Baggins, I sat down on the floor of my bedroom and I understood with the whole of my being that my life had just been divided into before and after. And I know I’m far from the only person who has had their life changed by Peter Jackson.”

He wasn’t done. “Peter grew up in a country that back then barely had a film industry at all,” Wood continued, beaming. “But in true Pete fashion, that was not about to hold him back. So Pete, I truly have no words to thank you for that.”

Jackson accepted the trophy with a hug — and a joke. Noting that it had been 27 years since their first meeting, he looked at Wood and said: “You’ve grown a little bit of facial hair. If someone does a remake of Gone With the Wind, it could be your role.”

Wood was joined at the ceremony by his wife, Danish film producer Mette-Marie Kongsved. Jackson brought along his two children, Billy and Katie.

How Cannes Saved Lord of the Rings

The laughs gave way to something more reflective when Jackson talked about what Cannes actually means to him — and it turns out, it means everything.

His first connection to the festival came in 1987, when he brought his debut feature Bad Taste to the Cannes market. “If the film hadn’t sold well at the marketplace here, I would have gone back to New Zealand to my photo engraver job,” he said, referencing the day job he’d held while making the film on weekends over four years. “Fortunately, it sold really well. It started my career.”

But the more consequential Cannes moment came in 2001, when the press cycle around The Lord of the Rings had turned genuinely ugly. The films had been shot over three years — all three simultaneously — but the studio landscape had grown turbulent. Warner Bros. was caught up in the disastrous AOL-Time Warner merger, and the narrative in the press had curdled into something close to mockery.

“All the press was sort of talking about this great folly,” Jackson recalled. “What happens if the first film fails? What are they going to do about films two and three because they’re already made? It was a huge gamble, but all the media was talking about that the gamble was going to fail.”

New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye decided to fight back — by bringing 20 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring to Cannes that May, months before the December release. “We quickly cut together 20 minutes of film, really fast, and we brought that 20 minutes here in 2001 in May, and we did some press in that castle up on the hill and had a party there,” Jackson said. “Bob’s great gamble really changed the perception of the film. By the time it came out, there was an anticipation that there wouldn’t have been if not for Cannes.”

The rest, as they say, is cinema history. The Lord of the Rings trilogy went on to win 17 Oscars — including Best Picture for The Return of the King — and Jackson’s name became synonymous with epic, large-scale storytelling. “There is clearly a before and an after Peter Jackson,” Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux said ahead of the ceremony. “Larger-than-life cinema is his trademark, and his all-encompassing art of entertainment is particularly ambitious. Peter Jackson is not only a great technician; he is above all a tremendous storyteller.”

He couldn’t resist a wink at current events, either. With Warner Bros. once again in the middle of a major sale — this time to Paramount Skydance owner David Ellison — Jackson grinned at the crowd and said simply: “What goes around comes around.” The room laughed.

After Jackson’s speech brought another extended standing ovation, ceremony host Eye Haïdara surprised him with one more gift: a clip from his Beatles documentary flashed on screen, and then French-Congolese singer Theodora and French artist Oklou walked out to perform “Get Back” live. Jackson bopped his head, clapped his hands, and sang along. Jury member Demi Moore, watching from her seat, did the same.

A Star-Studded Night to Open the 79th Festival

Jackson joins an elite group of filmmakers and actors who’ve received the honorary Palme d’Or, including Agnès Varda, Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise.

The rest of the opening night was equally electric. Jane Fonda and Chinese actress Gong Li took the stage together to officially declare the festival open — a pairing that felt intentional. “Jane comes from the West,” Gong said. “And I come from the East. Tonight we stand together here. This is the magic of the Cannes Film Festival.”

Fonda, never one to stay quiet when the moment calls for something more, added: “I believe in the power of voices — voices on the screen, voices off the screen, and definitely voices in the street, especially now. Cinema has always been an act of resistance because we tell the stories, and stories are what make a civilization.” She closed with a rallying cry: “Let’s celebrate audacity, freedom and the fierce act of creation.”

Jury president Park Chan-wook addressed the 22 films in competition, noting that while the selection may be small, the number of people who worked on them runs into the thousands. The jury he’s leading includes Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Diego Céspedes, Isaach De Bankolé and Paul Laverty.

The opening-night film was Pierre Salvadori’s La Vénus Électrique — known in English as The Electric Kiss — a period romantic comedy set in 1920s Paris, starring Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Vimala Pons and Gilles Lellouche. The film follows a grieving painter who accidentally begins a fake séance arrangement with a carnival worker, with predictably chaotic results.

Also on the red carpet: Joan Collins, Diego Luna, Heidi Klum, James Franco, Alia Bhatt, Tyrese Gibson, Bong Joon Ho and Maika Monroe, among others.

Competition screenings kick off Wednesday, with the Palme d’Or winner to be announced at the closing ceremony on May 23. The lineup includes buzzy titles featuring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Rami Malek, Sandra Hüller, Léa Seydoux, Catherine Deneuve, Michael Fassbender, Sebastian Stan and Pedro Almodóvar’s latest — which means the next 11 days on the Croisette are going to be very, very busy.

But Tuesday night belonged to Peter Jackson. And to the kid from New Zealand who made a movie on weekends, shipped it to a French film festival, and never looked back.

The post Elijah Wood Presents Peter Jackson With Honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes appeared first on Cream.

• Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or at the 79th Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony on May 12
• Jackson brought his children Katie and Billy to the photo call ahead of the honor
• Jane Fonda brought Hollywood glamour while James Franco made a low-key return to the Croisette
• The jury is led by Park Chan-wook and includes Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, and Stellan Skarsgård
• The festival runs through May 23 with a lineup heavy on international auteurs but light on Hollywood blockbusters

The 79th Cannes Film Festival got its honorary Palme d’Or moment right. Peter Jackson — the man who turned J.R.R. Tolkien’s impossible dream into three of the most beloved films ever made — touched down on the Croisette Tuesday night to accept cinema’s most prestigious honorary award, and he brought the whole family with him.

Jackson arrived at the iconic Palais des Festivals with his kids, Katie and Billy, alongside longtime collaborators Ken Kamins and Carlos Ramírez Laloli for the opening photo call. Then came the red carpet, where he flashed a thumbs up to the wall of photographers before heading inside for the ceremony ahead of the opening night film, The Electric Kiss, a French romantic comedy set in the 1920s.

The honor, per the official Cannes release, was given “in recognition of a body of work that blends Hollywood blockbusters and films d’auteur with extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity.” Festival director Thierry Frémaux put it even more plainly when he announced the award: “There is clearly a before and an after Peter Jackson. Larger-than-life cinema is his trademark, and his all-encompassing art of entertainment is particularly ambitious. He has permanently transformed Hollywood cinema and its conception of the spectacle.”

Jackson, for his part, was gracious. “To be honoured with an Honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes is one of the greatest privileges of my career,” he said. “Cannes has been a meaningful part of my filmmaking journey. In 1988, I attended the Festival Marketplace with my first movie, Bad Taste, then in 2001 we screened a preview sequence from The Fellowship of the Ring, both of which were important milestones in my career. This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I’m incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognised among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me.”

A Cannes Moment That Changed Everything

That 2001 visit deserves its own paragraph. New Line Cinema had bet more than $270 million on three simultaneous films based on Tolkien — a gamble widely considered reckless at the time. Then Jackson screened 26 minutes of footage from The Fellowship of the Ring for the Cannes press, and the skeptics went quiet.

Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf, was there and wrote about it on his blog afterward: “With relief and some excitement I can report that Peter Jackson’s images not only look convincing, they look stunning.” New Line then threw one of the most legendary parties in festival history — up on a hill at the Château Castellaras, where, according to the fan site TheOneRing.net, “Orcs, hobbits, elves and men were dancing wildly to French versions of ‘Oh What a Night’ and the latest Latin offerings,” before a massive Bilbo Baggins birthday cake floated through the crowd to a “strange/disturbing version of Happy Birthday.”

Twenty-five years later, the man who made all of that happen is getting his flowers. It was a long time coming.

The Rest of the Opening Night Crowd

Jackson wasn’t the only headline on the carpet. Jane Fonda showed up in a shimmering black dress and a bejeweled necklace that looked like it could’ve been borrowed from the set of Titanic — she brought the Hollywood star power that this year’s lineup has otherwise been lacking. Diego Luna, also in attendance, was spotted huddling in the lobby with his Y tu mamá también director Alfonso Cuarón before the ceremony began.

And then there was James Franco. The actor, whose career was derailed by allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior, appeared on the Croisette alongside Jordan Firstman, star of I Love LA, whose feature Club Kid is playing at the festival. Franco’s presence was low-key — the wall of photographers’ flashing cameras reportedly went dark for long stretches during the opening ceremony — but his attendance was noted.

The jury assembled for photos earlier in the day: Park Chan-wook serves as president, with Demi Moore (wearing Jacquemus with Hassanzadeh London jewelry), Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Ruth Negga, Laura Wandel, Isaach de Bankolé, and Diego Céspedes rounding out the group.

A Festival Feeling the Pressure

This is also Thierry Frémaux’s 25th edition at the helm of Cannes — a tenure that’s survived streaming wars, a pandemic, and no shortage of political turbulence. But the energy on the Croisette this year feels different. Hollywood studios are pulling back from big festival splurges, AI anxiety is hanging over every creative conversation, and the absence of major blockbusters is hard to miss.

There had been real hope that Christopher Nolan might bring The Odyssey or Steven Spielberg might arrive with Disclosure Day — neither happened. Previous editions had Tom Cruise premiering Mission: Impossible sequels and Harrison Ford unveiling Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. This year, Cannes is leaning into its arthouse identity, with Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, and Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord carrying the competition weight.

Whether that’s a pivot or just a down year depends on who you ask. But watching Peter Jackson take that stage Tuesday night — thumbs up, kids in tow, the spirit of Middle-earth somehow present on the French Riviera — it was hard to argue that Cannes had lost its magic entirely.

The festival runs through May 23.

The post Cannes 2026 Opens With Peter Jackson, Jane Fonda and James Franco appeared first on Cream.

• The 79th Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday in the South of France, running through May 23
• Peter Jackson receives an honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony, presented by Elijah Wood
• Hollywood studios are largely absent this year, with costs and a rocky reception climate keeping them away
• Demi Moore joins Park Chan-wook, Chloé Zhao, and Stellan Skarsgård on the nine-member jury
• Neon has backed the last six Palme d’Or winners and holds a stake in over a quarter of this year’s competition films

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The 79th Cannes Film Festival is officially underway on the French Riviera, and while the Hollywood machine is notably quieter than usual, the Côte d’Azur is anything but short on glamour. Twelve days of world premieres kicked off Tuesday, with the whole thing wrapping May 23 when the jury hands out the Palme d’Or — one of the most coveted trophies in all of cinema.

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The opening night belonged to The Electric Kiss, a French period-comedy, and to a moment that had Lord of the Rings fans feeling all kinds of nostalgic: director Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d’Or. Elijah Wood — who arrived in Nice on Monday with his wife, Mette-Marie Kongsved — was on hand to present the honor to his former director. It was the kind of full-circle moment Cannes does better than anywhere else.

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Before the first film even screened, arrivals at the Nice airport set the tone. Demi Moore touched down ready for business — she’s serving on the jury this year alongside Oldboy director Park Chan-wook (who serves as jury president), Nomadland‘s Chloé Zhao, actor Stellan Skarsgård, and others including Ruth Negga and Isaach De Bankole. Heidi Klum also made her annual pilgrimage to the carpet, where she reliably delivers some of the festival’s most talked-about fashion moments. Even Nathan Mitchell, fresh off the end of The Boys, was spotted making his way into town.

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Moore’s connection to Cannes runs deeper than jury duty. Her film The Substance premiered here in 2024, with writer-director Coralie Fargeat taking home the Best Screenplay award. Coming back in an official capacity feels like a full-circle moment for her too.

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Hollywood’s Quiet Year on the Croisette

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What everyone keeps talking about, though, is what’s missing. Previous editions have welcomed blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis with open arms. This year, the studio presence is almost nonexistent — the closest thing to a marquee Hollywood moment is an anniversary celebration for the Fast & Furious franchise.

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Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux addressed it head-on in a press briefing Monday, acknowledging that Hollywood “is reshaping” amid the ongoing turbulence of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Studios, he suggested, have been either spooked by the prospect of a chilly critical reception or simply unwilling to absorb the expense of flying A-list talent to the South of France right now.

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“I hope the studio films will come back,” Frémaux said.

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But the filmmaker lineup this year is genuinely stacked. Pedro Almodóvar brings Bitter Christmas. James Gray unveils Paper Tiger. South Korean director Na Hong-jin, whose previous work has been nothing short of electric, arrives with Hope. Pawel Pawlikowski (Ida, Cold War) has Fatherland. And Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the Japanese filmmaker behind Drive My Car, is back with All of a Sudden. For cinephiles, this is the good stuff.

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The Neon Factor and the Oscar Pipeline

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If there’s one company that has quietly turned Cannes into its personal awards-season launchpad, it’s specialty distributor Neon. The company has backed the last six Palme d’Or winners in a row — an unprecedented run — and this year they’re attached to more than a quarter of the 22 films competing for the top prize. The streak could easily continue.

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The template is well established at this point. Two years ago, Sean Baker’s Anora won the Palme d’Or here before going on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Last year, Cannes selections including Sentimental Value, The Secret Agent, and It Was Just an Accident all carved out significant roles in awards season. The festival has become less of a Hollywood showcase and more of an Oscar incubator — and that’s not a bad trade.

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The Stars Are Still Coming

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Hollywood studios may have stayed home, but their talent didn’t get the memo. Over the next two weeks, the Croisette will see Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rami Malek, Sebastian Stan, and Sandra Hüller, among many others.

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There’s also a meta layer to all of this that’s hard to ignore. The fourth season of HBO’s The White Lotus — Mike White’s acclaimed series that has become one of the most-watched shows on television — is set entirely around a trip to Cannes. Production began on the French Riviera last month, meaning the real festival is essentially unfolding inside its own fictional backdrop. How much of this year’s Cannes energy bleeds into the show, and vice versa, is going to be fascinating to watch.

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Park Chan-wook’s jury convenes Tuesday for their first press conference before settling in for nearly two weeks of sequestered screenings. The Palme d’Or winner will be announced May 23 — and if history is any guide, Neon will probably be celebrating.

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“category”: “Movies

The post Cannes 2026 Kicks Off With Stars, No Studios appeared first on Cream.