Filmmaker Peter Jackson, renowned for directing the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, is collaborating with Texas-based genetic engineering company Colossal Biosciences and New Zealand experts, including the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, to attempt the de-extinction of the giant flightless bird known as the moa. The moa, native to New Zealand, stood approximately 11 feet tall and weighed around 500 pounds before its extinction roughly 600 years ago. Jackson owns one of the largest private collections of moa bones, which are being used to support the genetic research. This initiative follows Colossal Biosciences' previous project to bring back the dire wolf, a species that had been extinct for thousands of years. The moa de-extinction project is backed by a $15 million investment and aims to restore the bird as part of ecological restoration efforts on New Zealand's South Island. While the project has garnered support from some Māori groups, it faces opposition from others who question the scientific feasibility and ethical considerations of de-extinction. Jackson has expressed that this project is a personal passion alongside his filmmaking career, describing the potential revival of the moa as more exciting than any film he could make. Colossal Biosciences also has ongoing plans to revive other extinct species, such as the Tasmanian devil and the woolly mammoth.