Summary
- The upcoming episode of The Simpsons features a cameo by Peter Jackson and Elizabeth Banks, along with other celebrity cameos.
- The episode parodies Silicon Valley and includes references to Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
- Peter Jackson’s cameo includes Easter eggs referencing his films, such as King Kong and The Hobbit trilogy.
The Simpsons images reveal Peter Jackson’s cameo and Easter eggs for four of his films. Currently in the midst of its 35th season on Fox, the long-running animated sitcom has not lost its satirical edge nor its ability to attract big-name celebrities for cameos. The upcoming fourth episode of the season, titled “Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story,” will feature a slew of celebrity cameos headlined by the famous filmmaker Peter Jackson and actress Elizabeth Banks.
Now, ahead of its airing on October 29, Entertainment Weekly has shared exclusive first-look photos for the fourth episode of The Simpsons season 35 revealing Peter Jackson’s cameo and four Easter eggs from his films. Check them out below:
The images for the upcoming episode, which parodies Silicon Valley, also show Springfield tycoon Mr. Burns falling for Persephone (Elizabeth Banks), a college dropout turned CEO who seems to be inspired by Theranos founder and convicted fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, whose story was documented by The Dropout on Hulu. The images also show cameos from documentarian Ken Burns and journalists who have covered Silicon Valley – Kara Swisher, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Christiane Amanpour.
The Simpsons’ Peter Jackson Cameo & Easter Eggs Explained
The Simpsons image of Peter Jackson’s cameo includes a total of four Easter eggs referencing his films. Perhaps the most noticeable is the poster over his right shoulder, which is immediately recognizable as a mash-up of the director’s most famous movies – King Kong and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. After completing his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson directed the 2005 King Kong movie before the inception of the current MonsterVerse franchise. Smaug, on the other hand, serves as the main antagonist of Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy.
The artwork over his left shoulder mashes up two Peter Jackson deep cuts. The image is the Abbey Road album cover, but instead of The Beatles crossing the street, it’s the puppets from his 1989 film Meet the Feebles, which is one of Jackson’s earlier movies he made when he was still a scrappy New Zealand filmmaker. The iconic album cover is, of course, a reference to The Beatles: Get Back, the documentary series directed by Jackson that was released on Disney+ in 2001. How the famous filmmaker factors into the upcoming episode of The Simpsons remains to be seen.
Source: EW