Lord of the Rings Director is trying to bring back enormous bird extinct for 600 years

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Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings, is making efforts to reintroduce a type of bird that’s been absent for 600 years, a bird known to weigh over 500 pounds and reach heights of up to 3.6 meters.

When considering Peter Jackson, it’s hard not to associate him with his masterful adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series. From the Lord of the Rings trilogy to The Hobbit films, and forthcoming spinoff movies focusing on The Hunt for Gollum, he has been deeply immersed in this cherished world for many years.

Yet, when he’s not immersed in epic filmmaking ventures, this New Zealand-born director harbors a deep-seated interest in things that predate J.R.R. Tolkien’s literature. As IGN initially disclosed, Jackson has partnered with the biotech firm Colossal Biosciences, pursuing a singular objective.

Through investment in a Texas firm, the filmmaker aims to rekindle the return of an ancient species that’s been absent for centuries – the Moa birds of New Zealand. Despite being extinct for six hundred years, Jackson anticipates this partnership will resurrect these colossal beings once more.

Peter Jackson trying to revive long-extinct bird species

Nine distinct species make up the Moa bird family, with some being smaller than others. Reaching heights of approximately 3.6 meters, these flightless giants can weigh an impressive 500 pounds at their maximum size.

To successfully resurrect animals, Colossal Biosciences is collaborating with the Ngāi Tahu Research Center. With Jackson’s assistance, they aim to collect and analyze as many Moa bones as possible for their DNA sequencing.

Jackson shared with IGN that Fran and he have about 400 Moa bone specimens, and they’ve already extracted DNA from them. For the upcoming year or so, his main goal is to find additional bones, as having more bones will help improve the quality of the genome sequencing.

I’ve consistently found the concept of de-extinction appealing. What makes it even more intriguing is that the scientific advancements could potentially bring significant advantages for endangered species as well.

“The movies are my day job, and the Moa are my fun thing I do,” he told MSN.

Recently, Colossal Biosciences has attracted attention for their efforts in resurrecting an extinct animal species. Time magazine highlighted their achievement of breeding what they claim to be the first ‘dire wolf’ in over 10,000 years; however, there has been some debate surrounding this assertion.

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2025-07-09 04:18