Stephen Colbert Co-Writing New Lord of the Rings Film With His Son

Stephen Colbert has found his post-Late Show job. The comedian has been tapped to pen a new Lord of the Rings movie alongside Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee, the second of two upcoming films in the blockbuster franchise.

According to Colbert, he developed the idea two years ago with his son, and it "took a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call," he told Jackson, who "liked it enough to talk to me about it." After coming up with the concept, Colbert discussed it with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, and worked out a framing device for the film. Over the last two years, they then worked with screenwriter Philippa Boyens to develop a script.

The news was revealed during Tolkien Reading Day, the anniversary of the destruction of the One Ring, shared directly via the official Lord of the Rings social channels. Peter Jackson teased his "very special partner" who would help develop the next film after "The Hunt for Gollum," before patching Colbert in through a video call.

Colbert revealed that the film will be based on "Fog on the Barrow-downs," the eighth chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring, where Hobbits are trapped by a Barrow-wight in an unnatural fog. The story also includes fan-favorite character Tom Bombadil, who was omitted from the previous films. Colbert said in the video, "The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in The Fellowship [of the Ring] that y'all never developed into the first movie back in the day. It's basically chapters 'Three Is Company' through 'Fog on the Barrow-downs,' and 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?"

The official synopsis reads: "Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, 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 film will be produced by WingNut Films in association with Spartina Industries. Colbert will work with Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Boyens, the Oscar-winning trio who initially brought the blockbuster Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies to life, on the film from J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved books.

Shadow of the Past represents a remarkable step into uncharted territory: this will be the first big-screen adventure to take place after Tolkien's narrative concluded. Notably, "Shadow of the Past" is also the name of the novel's second chapter.

The film will come after Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is currently in development from director Andy Serkis. The Hunt for Gollum was dated for December 17, 2027. No release date has been set for Shadow of the Past.

Jackson joked with Colbert about finding the time to adapt the film, to which the Late Show host replied, "It turns out I'm going to be free starting this summer." Colbert initially did not plan on helping write the script until the end of his time on The Late Show was announced last year, paving the way for him to begin working on the project in earnest this summer. Colbert doesn't have to worry about his next gig after he signs off as host on CBS's The Late Show on May 21, as he will be embarking on what is arguably his dream project.

Altogether, the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, across six movies, have grossed over $5.9 billion worldwide. With Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens producing, and a story drawn from some of Tolkien's most beloved unadapted pages, the franchise's return to the Shire now has one of its most devoted fans holding the pen.