Vfx guru Joe Letteri joins filmmaker Peter Jackson, effects wiz Richard Taylor and editor/producer Jamie Selkirk as a full equity partner in New Zealand’s Weta Digital. Daily Variety reports that the three-time Oscar winner will contribute to the future strategy and growth of the company, while continuing in his role as senior visual effects supervisor.
Letteri began his career at Industrial Light and Magic, working on George Lucas’ Star Wars, and has since worked on such major effects-driven films as The Abyss, Jurassic Park, Van Helsing, King Kong and X-Men: The Last Stand He earned his trio of Academy Awards for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and was nominated for I, Robot.
Having overseen effects work on Columbia Pictures’ upcoming family fantasy film The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep for Weta, Letteri is currently busy with James Cameron’s high-profile sci-fi thriller Avatar, which will combine motion-capture animation with live-action.
