Peter Jackson: The Reluctant Mogul: From Splatter to Spielberg

Before Middle-earth made him a household name, Peter Jackson was just a scrappy New Zealander with a Super 8 camera and a taste for gore. The Reluctant Mogul traces his unlikely journey from DIY horror and absurdist comedies to the pinnacle of Hollywood power. This is the story of a filmmaker who never sought fame but earned it anyway by staying weird, staying obsessed, and refusing to play by the rules.

From Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles to The Lord of the Rings, Jackson bulldozed his way into the big leagues with nothing but vision, stamina, and a crew of loyal misfits. Packed with behind-the-scenes drama, artistic battles, and hard-won victories, this book reveals how a creature-feature renegade became a digital-age Spielberg without ever losing his outsider edge.

A must-read for fans, filmmakers, and anyone who's ever wondered how a splatterpunk kid conquered Hollywood on his own terms.