Okay, now, before we all (present company included) get too excited, let me state that this is not an official announcement, but merely words said by people out loud to the press. Matt Smith, who plays the eponymous character in Doctor Who, said that he’d love to sail over to New Zealand and film an episode of the show with director Peter Jackson. And then Jackson said, “Yeah, okay!” You might think that the new trailer for The Hobbit was the best Jackson-related news to happen today, but I’m telling you right now — it’s not. This “not-officially-happening-yet” Doctor Who news is. If we all clap our hands at the same time, maybe it’ll actually happen. And an angel will get its wings.
Don’t worry, I put your Hobbit trailer inside, too.
First off, where did this story come from? Fan blog Doctor Who TV featured a quote by Smith from an interview with New Zealand’s The Waikato Times in which he stated that he’d love to visit New Zealand to shoot an episode of the show, and while they’re all there, how great would it be if Peter Jackson was in the director’s chair?
“I think it would be an absolutely wonderful place to film Doctor Who,’… Let’s get Peter Jackson to direct [an episode] and go and make it in New Zealand. I would love to, I will campaign endlessly to come over and film there.”
When asked by The Waikato Times for comment, Jackson said:
“I’m a huge Doctor Who fan, and I think Matt’s fantastic. Just name a time and place, and I’ll be there!”
And then all of geekdom exploded in joy.
Why would a Jackson-directed episode of Doctor Who be absolutely nothing less than amazing? Not because of his epic takes on J.R.R. Tolkien. Because of his horror comedy roots. That’s right. Before all that Shire money, Jackson was responsible for some seriously, wonderfully demented flicks: Bad Taste, Dead Alive (aka Braindead), and Meet the Feebles. I’ll include an honorable mention for Heavenly Creatures, which also contains tons of his classic twisted imagery that would translate beautifully into an episode of Doctor Who. All of these movies have a uniquely weird and grotesque style that would make for a formidable environment to host the Doctor and his companion, whether it was another version of Earth or another planet entirely.
But it’s Jackson’s sense of humor and demented whimsy that would make his episode of Doctor Who the most fun thing on TV. Jackson will freak us out, make us uncomfortable, and then break the tension with something truly unexpected (a walrus getting a blowjob) or mundane (a family of zombies having dinner… while falling apart). I’m telling you, this has to happen. It would kick ass. It would kick ass for the Lord.
Oh, here’s that new trailer for The Hobbit:
Photo credit: Red.com
OMG! Matt Smith teases a Peter Jackson-directed Doctor Who episode! [Blastr]