Peter Jackson

Filmmaker Peter Jackson, left, and Colossal CEO Ben Lamm hold up bones from Jackson's collection of extinct moa bones in Wellington, New Zealand, 2024. (Courtesy of Colossal Biosciences via AP)

‘Lord of the Rings’ director backs long shot de-extinction plan, starring New Zealand’s lost moa

Filmmaker Peter Jackson’s fascination with a large extinct New Zealand bird has led to an unusual partnership with a biotech company known for its grand and controversial plans to bring back lost species.
 
A sculpture of an eagle from the Hobbit films, ridden by the wizard Gandalf, hangs over the food court area of Wellington Airport, in Wellington, New Zealand, Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Charlotte Graham-McLay)

A giant sculpture of Gandalf riding an eagle departs Wellington airport for good

 
People gather outside the Bowery Ballroom where Paul McCartney’s surprise show was held in New York, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jake Coyle)

Paul McCartney rocks the Bowery. Inside his surprise NYC concert

 
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows the character Hera, voiced by Gaia Wise, in a scene from the animated film "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Movie Review: A ‘Lord of the Rings’ tradition turns small-scale in the anime ‘Rohirrim’

 
★★★★
This cover image released by Dial Press shows "First Love" by Lilly Dancyger. (Dial Press via AP)

Book Review: Memoirist Lilly Dancyger’s penetrating essays explore the power of female friendships

 

Latest Videos

‘Lord of the Rings’ director hopes to bring back New Zealand’s moa bird from extinction

Colossal Biosciences announced an effort to genetically engineer living birds to resemble the extinct South Island giant moa – which stood 12 feet tall.
Watch More

Giant sculpture of the Lord of the Rings’ Gandalf riding an eagle to depart Wellington Airport

Viggo Mortensen on possible return to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ franchise

Ringo Starr says ‘not a lot of joy’ in the 1970 documentary ‘Let It Be’

More News

This undated family handout photo provided on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, shows six-month-old Indi Gregory. Italy's government on Monday granted Italian citizenship to an eight-month-old terminally ill British girl after a court in Britain upheld rulings authorizing the withdrawal of life-supporting invasive treatment. Baby Indi Gregory's situation is the latest in a series of cases in Britain in which doctors and parents have sparred over the treatment of terminally ill children. The Vatican's pediatric hospital, Bambino Gesu, in Rome has offered to care for Indi Gregory. (Family Handout/PA via AP)

UK judge decries legal tactics used by sick child’s parents as he refuses to let her die at home

 
Kendall Jenner wears a creation for the L'Oreal Spring/Summer 2024 womenswear fashion collection presented Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 in Paris. (AP Photo/Vianney Le Caer)

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4