‘Lord of the Rings’ director Peter Jackson wants to revive extinct bird

One does not simply bring back an entire extinct bird species — at least, not without Peter Jackson’s help. 

Colossal Biosciences announced on Tuesday that it had partnered with the Lord of the Rings director in an effort to genetically engineer birds that are similar to the lost South Island giant moa, AP reports. Jackson, an avid moa enthusiast with at least 300 bones in his collection, and his partner Fran Walsh have contributed $15 million in funding toward the revitalization of the species. 

“The movies are my day job, and the moa are my fun thing I do,” Jackson explained to the outlet. “Every New Zealand schoolchild has a fascination with the moa.”

One of the tallest bird species ever known to walk the Earth, the moa was a massive flightless bird similar to an ostrich that roamed New Zealand for 4,000 years. However, overhunting led the herbivores to go extinct roughly 600 years ago. 

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Now, Jackson and Colossal Biosciences, in association with New Zealand-based Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, are trying to bring the bird back. Beth Shapiro, Colossal’s chief scientist, told AP that the first step in the project is finding moa bones that may still hold potential DNA. 

Once extracted, Shapiro explained that the moa’s DNA will be compared to that of modern-day birds like the emu in order to properly “figure out what it is that made the moa unique compared to other birds.” 

Colossal Biosciences used this practice in the past as part of its ongoing campaign to bring back the dire wolf. The biotech company has genetically altered three gray wolf puppies — named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi — that were born over the last year. 

The process of bringing back birds like the moa, however, is an entirely different ballgame because they are formed inside of an egg. 

“There’s lots of different scientific hurdles that need to be overcome with any species that we pick as a candidate for de-extinction,” Shapiro said. “We are in the very early stages.”

Now only time will tell if life, uh, finds a way.