Stephen Colbert announced in January the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will air on May 21 after CBS decided last year to cancel the highly rated late-night programme, citing financial pressure. Now, the veteran television host has a new assignment to fill his calendar: screenwriting a major Hollywood film.
The late-night host will be embarking on what is arguably his dream project: adapting the next Lord of the Rings movie from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. The film is tentatively titled "Shadow of the Past," and is set 14 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 project came together unconventionally. According to Colbert in a new interview shared by Warner Bros., he developed the idea—inspired by five chapters from Fellowship of the Ring not covered in Jackson's movie, where the Hobbits encounter the mysterious Tom Bombadil while fleeing the Black Riders—two years ago with his son, adding to Jackson that it "took a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call… you liked it enough to talk to me about it." After the groundwork was laid, Colbert called Jackson, and over the last two years, they've worked with screenwriter Philippa Boyens to develop a script.
The tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is set to be written by Colbert, Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee. The movie will be derived from chapters three through eight of Tolkien's landmark book. For those familiar with the source material, this is territory cinemagoers have never seen onscreen: the journey through fog-shrouded lands inhabited by ancient spirits, and the encounter with the enigmatic figure of Tom Bombadil, a presence Tolkien lavished with philosophical depth but Jackson left on the cutting room floor.
The announcement arrived during the celebration of Tolkien Reading Day—a celebration of the esteemed Lord of the Rings scribe's work, on the day in the Middle-earth calendar when Sauron is defeated with the destruction of the One Ring. Jackson also gave audiences an update on the next "LOTR" film, due to be released in 2027 – "The Hunt for Gollum" – directed by and starring franchise alum Andy Serkis.
Colbert nodded to the show's upcoming ending in his latest announcement, saying: "it turns out I'm going to be free starting this summer." It's no secret that Colbert is a long-time fan of the fantasy series, often citing the books and films in his segments. The timing is straightforward: with broadcast obligations ending in late May, Colbert will finally have the headspace to focus on a passion project he has evidently been nurturing for years. New Line Cinema, the production arm of Warner Bros., is backing the effort alongside the creative team that shaped Jackson's original trilogies.
No release date has been set for Shadow of the Past, nor has any casting been announced. Given the framing device, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Warner Bros. attempt to bring back Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd to reprise their roles as Sam, Merry, and Pippin, respectively. The original three films spanned more than two decades and earned more than $5.9 billion worldwide. Any new entry into the franchise carries considerable commercial and cultural weight.