Peter Jackson Will Finally Get to Direct 'Doctor Who'

What do you do when you’ve conquered Middle Earth? Blast off into the cosmos aboard the TARDIS, of course! At least, that’s the trajectory that Oscar-winning director — and geek icon — Peter Jackson is taking now that he’s officially signed on to helm an episode of the beloved BBC sci-fi series, Doctor Who. A longtime Whovian, Jackson’s commitment to The Hobbit trilogy previously prevented him from riding shotgun with The Doctor. But now that all those hobbits, One Rings, Orcs and wizards are in the rearview, he’s got plenty of time to fly to the show’s homebase in Cardiff, Wales to direct an episode.

Jackson dropped this bombshell announcement on his Facebook page, via a short, self-deprecating video he filmed with his daughter, Katie, and another very special guest. (Hint: His name rhymes with: “Peeta’s A Baldy.”) After the New Zealand-based filmmaker pokes fun at his own excessive production schedules (and the creative health of Doctor Who showrunner, Steven Moffat), the Twelfth Doctor himself enters the room, saying with typically wild-eyed enthusiasm: “I’m looking for a Director!” He hands Jackson an official BBC contract before being chased offscreen by another Doctor Who mainstay, those extermination-happy Daleks. Hands down, this is the one viral video to rule them all.

Doctor Who airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. on BBC America