Fez — US talk show host Stephen Colbert is moving from late-night television to Middle Earth, after announcing he will co-write a new “Lord of the Rings” film titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.”
The project, described as in development, will be written by Colbert alongside his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, and “Lord of the Rings” trilogy co-writer Philippa Boyens. Director and producer Peter Jackson is also involved in the project’s development, according to Deadline.
Colbert, known publicly as a devoted J.R.R. Tolkien reader, said the idea grew out of his fascination with early sections of “The Fellowship of the Ring” that were not fully explored in the original film adaptation.
The plan, he suggested, is to build a story that remains faithful to Tolkien’s world while fitting the cinematic framework shaped by Jackson’s earlier films.
A story set after Frodo
The official synopsis cited in multiple reports places the film 14 years after Frodo’s passing, with Sam, Merry, and Pippin retracing the first steps of their original journey. At the same time, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, discovers a secret linked to why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it began.
Reports also indicate the screenplay adapts material connected to chapters three through eight of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” including moments that did not appear in the first film.
Colbert’s next chapter after late night
The announcement comes as Colbert approaches the end of his current television run. CBS previously said “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will end in May this year, with the network retiring the franchise.
Colbert has said he previously believed he would not have time to take on a film project while hosting a nightly show, but expects to be available after his schedule changes.
The wider Middle-earth pipeline
“Shadow of the Past” is emerging alongside other planned Middle-earth projects. Boyens is also attached to “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” directed by Andy Serkis, which Warner Bros. has dated for December 17, 2027.
For Jackson’s long-running cinematic universe, the move signals a continued push to expand Tolkien’s world through spinouts and new angles, with Colbert’s involvement offering an unusual bridge between pop culture fandom and major studio filmmaking.
