Peter Jackson working on World War I documentary commissioned by the Imperial War Museums

Acclaimed director of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies Peter Jackson has been commissioned by the Imperial War Museums to create a documentary about the First World War.

Jackson has spent the last few months going over archive footage from the museum’s collection and BBC selection for stories and perspectives on the war never-before presented to the public.

The unnamed documentary, made entirely of archived footage, has been hand-colourised, 3D-digitised, and restored with modern production techniques

“I’ve always been fascinated by the First World War due to my own family history, and the centenary felt like a unique opportunity to make a personal contribution to the commemoration,” the director said .

“I wanted to find a way to bring new life to the stories of ordinary people living through extraordinary times.”

14-18 NOW – the UK’s official arts programme for the First World War centenary – co-commissioned the project, which will debut at the BFI London Film Festival later this year, later airing on BBC One. A copy of the film will also be given to every secondary school in the country for the 2018 autumn term.

Diane Lees, Director-General of Imperial War Museums, said: “This innovative new production will bring to life the stories of those who lived, fought and died during the First World War as well as revealing never-before-seen footage from IWM’s film archive from more than 100 years ago.”

Meanwhile, Jackson acts as producer and writer on the upcoming adaptation of Mortal Engines. The director also owns the movie rights to Sedond World War classic The Dam Busters, although a remake project has been put on hold.