Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and his wife could scoop £700million from the sale of part of his visual effects studio.
The Oscar winner, 60, has struck a £1.2billion deal to sell the technology and engineering arm of Weta Digital to US group Unity.
Fran Walsh, his wife, owns around 60% of Weta Digital. Assuming they own the same share of the division being sold, they could make around £700million.
Jackson funded the Precious Effects Studio Weta which created the animated Gollum from the Lord of the Rings. It has now been sold for £1.2bn
New Zealander Jackson struck gold with his adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books.
The films raked in £2.2billion worldwide and the final film in the trilogy, The Return of the King, won 11 Oscars.
Jackson co-founded Weta in 1993. She created the animated Gollum character in Lord of the Rings.
The company also contributed to the award-winning television series Game of Thrones. Unity Software is behind Call of Duty: Mobile.
It wants to use Weta Digital’s expertise to develop the ‘metaverse’ that makes virtual experiences such as attending an online concert feel like a face-to-face event.
It will take on Weta Digital’s 275 employees.