Peter Jackson is making a WWI documentary - here's what we know so far

Peter Jackson, in my eyes at least, is the visionary creator of Braindead, one of the greatest horror films ever made, but to others, he also directed some films about a ring and a goblin or something. Dungeons of the Caribbean, I think. Something. I don’t know. 

Anyway, he’s a pretty big deal in old Hollywood now, so any upcoming project with his name attached is sure to make waves in the industry and on this exciting new-fangled piece of tech we like to call ‘the internet’.

As such, news that he’s making a new documentary has rightly come with it a feverish excitement - what’s it going to be about? Well, I’ll immediately answer that for you: it’s going to be about World War I, and it’s going to be shown on the BBC. The doc, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of the war, will comprise a haul of never-before-seen footage and interviews gleaned from the BBC and Imperial War Museum’s archives, with a fancy colour upgrade in tow, to boot.

Peter Jackson said of the project:

“We’re making a film [that is] not the usual film you would expect on the First World War. We’re making a film that shows this incredible footage in which the faces of the men just jump out at you. It’s the people that come to life in this film. We have made a movie which shows the experience of what it was like to fight in this war, not strategy [or] battles.”

When completed, the film will be screened in cinemas and schools across the UK, and shown on BBC One. If you want further info on where to catch it later this year, head on over to 1418NOW.org.uk. The site also contains details about other art and film commissions to coincide with the WWI centenary.

Until then, here’s a little taster of what to expect from Jackson’s sure-to-be brilliant film:

Goblins!

(Image: BBC)