Overview
- Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. announced the project in a studio video with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, March 24, using the provisional title The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past.
- Colbert will co-write the script with his son, Peter McGee, alongside veteran trilogy writer Philippa Boyens, with Jackson overseeing development.
- An official synopsis places the story 14 years after Frodo’s death as Sam, Merry, and Pippin retrace their first steps and Sam’s daughter, Elanor, uncovers a long-buried secret.
- The film is in early development with no release date and will follow Andy Serkis’s The Hunt for Gollum, which Warner Bros. has slated for 2027.
- Reports say the adaptation aims to include long-omitted book material such as Tom Bombadil and the Old Forest, while coverage also notes Colbert’s exit from The Late Show in May frees him to focus on the film.