Jackson driven by fear of failure

A scene from District 9.

Peter Jackson

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Movie mogul Peter Jackson says he is driven by fears that one of his mega-productions will be a flop.

Jackson is again creating a massive buzz in Hollywood following the release of his production District 9 - an immediate ratings winner.

The film topped US box offices last week, taking $37 million in its first weekend.

The film, about a group of aliens forced to live in a South African ghetto, was advertised with posters on bus stops asking people to report non-humans, and bus stop seats marked for humans only.

Jackson, 47, has become one of the industry's most sought-after producers following the successful Lord of the Rings trilogy which brought him and his Weta productions workshop multiple Academy Award successes.

Talking in the US following the release of District 9, he said he was motivated by the sheer fear of churning out a flop.

"You're always imagining the best, and then you always have to compromise for what you get in the real world," Jackson said.

"It's a process of constant disappointment. But somehow you have to hope that you set your goals high enough that even with the disappointment, you still end up with something that other people enjoy."

Despite the runaway success of District 9, there is no time for relaxing for Jackson. He has just finished the screenplay for the Hobbit film.

His next major release will be The Lovely Bones, for which he wrote the screenplay, as well as directing and producing it. It is set for a December release.

"I get involved in films I'm inspired about. I get involved in movies that I want to see," Jackson said.

The Lovely Bones, based on Alice Sebold's 2002 bestselling novel about a teenage girl who is raped and murdered, was shot in New Zealand.

- © Fairfax NZ News