16. PETER JACKSON
AGE 46
JOB TITLE Director/producer
SMART BECAUSE He revitalized
fantasy. The Lord of the
Rings begot Narnia and
The Golden Compass — and Gollum set the F/X
standard. Runs his tech-savvy
empire from New
Zealand. When New Line
''fired'' him from The Hobbit,
he rallied fans online.
Has an interactive deal
with Microsoft, plus a new
movie, The Lovely Bones.
WISE MAN Lets co-writers
Fran Walsh and Philippa
Boyens, who prize
characters over F/X, win
most of the arguments.
