New Lord of the Rings movie confirmed with unexpected writer

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A new Lord of the Rings film is officially happening, and it has a surprising writer attached. Fans excited about the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum will be even more pleased to learn that another Lord of the Rings project is also being developed.

Director Peter Jackson revealed The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past on YouTube. The new story takes place fourteen years after Frodo Baggins’ journey ends and follows the adventures of hobbits Sam, Merry, and Pippin.

The three companions revisited the places where their journey originally started. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, stumbled upon an old secret and became determined to find out how close the War of the Ring came to being lost right from the beginning.

Stephen Colbert, the popular talk show host, will be co-writing the script for a new project. While fans know he’s a huge Tolkien enthusiast, this collaboration is somewhat surprising, as his only previous co-writing credit was for the 2005 film Strangers with Candy.

I was really fascinated to hear Stephen Colbert talk about how the idea for his Tolkien-inspired song came about! He said he was re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring and noticed there were six chapters – specifically chapters 3 through 8 – that didn’t actually make it into Peter Jackson’s movie from 2001. That really got him thinking!

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He wondered if a separate story could work within the bigger picture, and if they could create something that stayed true to both the original books and the existing films. He explained that was his thought process.

I discussed the story with my son, Peter, who’s a screenwriter as well, and together we figured out a good approach. We especially focused on how to best structure the story.

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It took me a couple of years to work up the nerve to call you, but I finally did about two years ago, and you seemed receptive enough to discuss it. He also mentioned they’d collaborated with Philippa Boyens, the screenwriter of Lord of the Rings, and shared the idea with studio executives.

I’m super stoked to say everyone really loved it! So that’s what we’re going to keep building on now.

Jackson playfully wondered if he’d have the time, a comment referencing the recent cancellation of his talk show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

I didn’t think my schedule would allow it—I really enjoy it, but I was worried about being able to do both this and the show. However, I unexpectedly have some free time starting this summer!

Jackson shared an update on the upcoming film, The Hunt for Gollum, scheduled for release next year. He said director Andy Serkis is doing a fantastic job and the film is shaping up to be visually stunning.

Kate Winslet will be appearing in the latest film, after previously declining a role in the original movies. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are also confirmed to reprise their roles as Frodo and Gandalf.

We don’t yet know when The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past will be released, but The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to come out in 2027.

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2026-03-25 16:49