Stephen Colbert Is Writing a New Lord of the Rings Film: The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema person confirmed contiguous The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, which volition beryllium written by Philippa Boyens, Stephen Colbert, and Peter McGee.

Shadow of the Past, which the companies caveat is presently a moving title, volition beryllium produced by Peter Jackson’s New Zealand-based WingNut Films, successful relation with Stephen Colbert’s accumulation institution Spartina.

The announcement explains Shadow of the Past volition beryllium acceptable 14 years aft the passing of Frodo, and spot “Sam, Merry, and Pippin acceptable retired to retrace the archetypal steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried concealed and is determined to uncover wherefore the War of the Ring was precise astir mislaid earlier it adjacent began.”

Jackson and Colbert spell into immoderate further item successful a video speech published alongside the announcement.

“The happening I recovered myself speechmaking implicit and implicit again were the six chapters aboriginal connected successful The Fellowship [of the Ring] that y’all ne'er developed into the archetypal movie backmost successful the day,” Colbert tells Jackson. “It’s fundamentally the section ‘Three is Company’ done ‘Fog connected the Barrow-Downs.’ And past I thought, ‘Oh, wait, possibly that could beryllium its ain communicative that could acceptable into the larger story? Could we marque thing that was wholly faithful to the books portion besides being wholly faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?’”

Colbert concedes that, aft conceiving of the idea, it took him “a fewer years” to muster up the nervus to interaction Jackson, but helium yet did truthful a fewer years ago. Colbert explained that, since then, helium and Jackson person been moving with Philippa Boyens (co-writer of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie series) connected processing the story.

Shadow of the Past joins The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arsenic a 2nd upcoming movie that volition instrumentality viewers backmost to the satellite established backmost successful 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The Hunt for Gollum is being directed by Gollum prima Andy Serkis, and is tipped to diagnostic a fig of returning stars, alongside caller faces similar Kate Winslet.

Luke is simply a Senior Editor connected the IGN reviews team. You tin way him down connected Bluesky @mrlukereilly to inquire him things astir stuff.