Stephen Colbert Pens Next “Lord of the Rings”

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that late night host and well-known Tolkien afficianado Stephen Colbert is set to develop a film set after the events of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past,” the project is essentially a sequel set fourteen years after the passing of Frodo. The hobbits Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure.

Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.

The announcement was made on Tuesday night via the official social media accounts of the studio and will come after the upcoming Andy Serkis-directed “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum”.

That film is a midquel of sorts set in the years between “The Hobbit” trilogy and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. In the video posting, Peter Jackson says of that film: “Andy is doing a terrific job. It’s looking amazing. The script is coming together really well and I think it’s going to be a really good film.”

Colbert then appears to discuss “The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past” and explains how the new film is inspired by six chapters from the first novel “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” chapters that didn’t make it into Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation.

Colbert says: “I thought, ‘Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?'”

Colbert discussed the idea with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee (“Outer Banks,” “The Righteous Gemstones”), and a ‘framing device’ was worked out. For the last two years, Colbert, Jackson and screenwriter Philippa Boyens have been developing and co-writing the script.

The new film will adapt chapters that introduced Tom Bombadil and the famed “Fogs on the Barrow-downs” which involves the sinister Barrow-wights. Neither made it into the ‘Rings’ trilogy though have appeared in Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” series.

In honor of Tolkien Reading Day and the destruction of the One Ring, we bring you a special announcement. pic.twitter.com/ufh9RLBIxO

— Warner Bros. (@warnerbros) March 25, 2026

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