Stephen Colbert and His Son in Works to Develop a New 'Lord of the Rings' Movie

Warner Bros. announced that television personality Stephen Colbert and his son are spearheading a new "Lord of the Rings" movie development. This exciting news broke on Tuesday night through different social media platforms of the studio.

Peter Jackson, director of the original “Lord of the Rings” series provided updates about the upcoming movie “The Hunt for Gollum”, slated for a 2027 release. Jackson commended Andy Serkis, the director of the project, sharing that the script was coming along nicely and the outlook of the movie is promising.

Jackson then introduced a "very special partner", Late Show host Colbert, who will be involved in the advancement of the next film - “The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past.” It's well-known that Colbert is an ardent Tolkien enthusiast. Colbert shared via video call that his movie plot would be derived from sections of “The Fellowship of the Ring” that were missed by Jackson’s 2001 adaptation.

Colbert conveyed his deep respect for Jackson’s works and his love for the Tolkien books. After discussing his movie idea with his son and screenwriter, Peter McGee, they set the narrative framework for the movie. Over the past two years, both Colbert and McGee have collaborated closely with experienced screenwriter Philippa Boyens and Jackson in creating the movie script.

The official description of the upcoming film reads, “Fourteen years following the departure of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin once more embark on an adventure of retracing their initial journey. Concurrently, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, stumbles upon a hidden secret, and seeks to uncover why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it started.”

Colbert, stepping into blockbuster development for the first time through this “Lord of the Rings” project, has previously worked on a minor role in Jackson's “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” in 2013. He even directed Jackson and other “Lord of the Rings” stars in the 2019 short film set in Middle-earth, “Darrylgorn.”

Screenwriter Boyens, based in New Zealand, has a long collaboration history with Jackson, including his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Hobbit” films. McGee, apart from leading the Brooklyn rock band Evil Twin, also adds his production experience on blockbusters like “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and tv shows such as Netflix’s “Outer Banks”, HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones” and CBS’ “Blue Bloods”.

The "Lord of the Rings", penned by Tolkien in the 1950s after the success of "The Hobbit", was transformed into an iconic movie trilogy by Jackson. Winning widespread accolades, including 17 Oscars, the trilogy holds an enduring appeal.