Peter Jackson, the legendary Oscar-winning director behind the iconic "Lord of the Rings," has been absent from feature filmmaking for over a decade. His last cinematic venture, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," graced theaters in 2014. Since then, Jackson has shifted gears, immersing himself in documentaries like "They Shall Not Grow Old" (2018) and the acclaimed "The Beatles: Get Back" (2021).

In a recent chat with ScreenRant, Jackson quashed rumors of retirement. "No, no. I’m certainly not retired," he asserted, revealing he’s hard at work on multiple screenplays. "We are currently producing and writing 'The Hunt for Gollum,' which Andy Serkis is slated to direct next year," he shared, referencing an exciting new addition to the Middle-earth saga.

But Jackson’s focus isn’t solely on the realm of cinema. He’s heavily invested in a groundbreaking venture with Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to reviving extinct species. Teaming up with CEO Ben Lamm and archaeologist Kyle Davis, they’re on a mission to bring back the Giant Moa.

Jackson expressed his enthusiasm saying, "To me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make. I’ve made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that supersedes anything at this point in time."

Colossal Biosciences has recently announced an ambitious plan to genetically engineer birds resembling the extinct South Island giant moa, which stood an impressive 12 feet tall. Backed by a whopping $15 million investment from Jackson and his long-time partner Fran Walsh, this project also partners with the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre in New Zealand.

Fans of the fantasy epic can look forward to "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027. With Jackson at the helm, the cinematic landscape is poised for another extraordinary journey.