“Pre-preproduction is the tenuous time before a project is greenlit; before the studio commits to spending real money. This is the most vulnerable period for any film because it's the time when your project is most likely to be put into turnaround. That's film-speak for killed off.”

New Zealand filmmaker, entrepreneur and visual effects pioneer

Sir Peter Robert Jackson is a New Zealand filmmaker, entrepreneur, and visual effects pioneer. He is known for directing, writing, and producing the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit trilogy, both adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. His work also includes Braindead, Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners, King Kong, They Shall Not Grow Old, and The Beatles: Get Back. His films have grossed more than $6.5 billion worldwide, and he is the fifth-highest-grossing film director of all time.