Stephen Colbert co-writing a new Lord of the Rings film after leaving The Late Show
Consensus Summary
Stephen Colbert is developing a new Lord of the Rings film titled Shadow of the Past after leaving his late-night talk show on CBS. The project, announced by Peter Jackson in April 2024, will follow Sam, Merry, and Pippin retracing early steps of their original journey while Samās daughter Elanor uncovers a secret about the War of the Ringās near-failure. Colbert, a lifelong Tolkien fan, collaborated with his son Peter McGee and Philippa Boyens to adapt chapters 3ā8 of The Fellowship of the Ring, which were omitted from Jacksonās original films. The film is the second in a planned duo, following The Hunt for Gollum (2027), and marks Colbertās transition from television to filmmaking. While ABC and Guardian 2 highlight the projectās development and Colbertās inspiration, Guardian 1 critiques the filmās potential to exploit ādisposableā Tolkien material, questioning whether it can justify Bombadilās inclusion or maintain Middle-earthās depth. The announcement follows Colbertās controversial cancellation from The Late Show, which he attributes to political motives, and his involvement has been met with both excitement and skepticism from fans.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Stephen Colbert is co-writing a new Lord of the Rings movie titled *Shadow of the Past* with his son Peter McGee and Philippa Boyens
- The film is set 14 years after the events of *The Lord of the Rings* trilogy and follows Sam, Merry, and Pippin retracing early steps of their journey
- Samās daughter Elanor discovers a secret explaining why the War of the Ring nearly failed before it began
- Peter Jackson announced Colbertās involvement in a video released on social media on April 2024
- Colbertās *The Late Show* on CBS aired its final episode on May 21, 2024, after cancellation in July 2023
- The film is the second of two upcoming Lord of the Rings movies from Warner Bros Discovery and New Line Cinema, following *The Hunt for Gollum* (released December 17, 2027)
- Colbert is an avid Tolkien fan and previously appeared in *The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug* (2013) alongside his family
- The original *Lord of the Rings* trilogy grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide, with *The Return of the King* winning Best Picture at the Oscars
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Colbertās involvement was revealed by producer Peter Jackson in a press release and Reuters report
- The article mentions Colbertās 11-year run on *The Late Show* and CBSās cancellation announcement in July 2023
- The article highlights Colbertās quote: āIām pretty happy about itā to Jackson in the video announcement
- The article notes the filmās working title is *Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past* according to a press release
- The article questions whether the film is an April Foolsā joke due to the timing of the announcement
- Speculates the film may center on Tom Bombadil or chapters 3ā8 of *The Fellowship of the Ring* (not included in Jacksonās films)
- Critiques the filmās potential to monetize ādisposableā Tolkien material, calling it āhollowing outā Middle-earth
- Mentions Amazonās *The Rings of Power* TV show and its divisive portrayal of Tom Bombadil
- States the filmās focus may be on chapter 8 (*Fogs on the Barrow-downs*) and a ālost masterplanā for the War of the Ring
- Includes Colbertās direct quote about rereading chapters 3ā8 of *The Fellowship of the Ring* and wanting to adapt them into a standalone story
- Describes Colbertās outline process with his son Peter McGee and his eventual pitch to Jackson
- Notes Jacksonās joke about Colbert needing time to adapt the film amid *The Late Show* cancellation controversy
- States Colbertās cancellation was criticized as politically motivated due to his criticism of Paramountās $16 million Trump settlement
- Colbertās quote: āIt turns out Iām going to be free starting this summerā in response to Jacksonās joke
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states the filmās working title is *Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past* (press release), while Guardian 1 does not confirm this title but focuses on speculative details like Tom Bombadilās role
- Guardian 1 suggests the film may explore ālost masterplansā or ālong-buried secretsā without direct confirmation from other sources, while ABC and Guardian 2 emphasize the retracing of Sam/Pippinās early journey
- Guardian 1 implies the film may adapt chapters 3ā8 of *The Fellowship of the Ring* as a āretrospectiveā story, whereas Guardian 2 frames it as a standalone narrative inspired by those chapters but not a direct adaptation
- Guardian 1 questions the filmās feasibility due to Tom Bombadilās lack of plot relevance, while ABC and Guardian 2 do not address this critique directly
- ABC and Guardian 2 mention Colbertās cameo in *The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug* (2013), but Guardian 1 does not reference this detail
Source Articles
Will Stephen Colbertās Lord of the Rings film be Tom Bombadilās time to shine?
The US talkshow hostās script will focus on chapters three to eight of Tolkienās first volume ā a section Hollywood originally thought disposable but is now circling back to monetise As I write this, ...
Talk show host Stephen Colbert to co-write new Lord of the Rings movie
Talk show host Stephen Colbert, famous devotee to JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth, is co-writing a Lord of the Rings movie with his son....
Stephen Colbert to write new Lord of the Rings film after end of the Late Show
Comedian and avid Tolkien fan to write the Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, a new Peter Jackson-produced film based on unadapted chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring Stephen Colbert has lined ...