Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have confirmed that Stephen Colbert will co-write the upcoming film 'The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.' The project reunites him with screenwriter Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson as producer.
Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema announced that late-night host Stephen Colbert will co-write 'The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past' alongside Philippa Boyens and Colbert's son, Peter McGee. Peter Jackson, director of the original trilogy, is producing the film. The story draws from six chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Fellowship of the Ring' that Jackson did not adapt in his earlier movies. Set 14 years after Frodo's passing, it follows Sam, Merry, and Pippin as they retrace their original journey, while Sam's daughter Elanor uncovers a long-hidden secret from their past adventures. The Hollywood Reporter first noted Colbert's involvement as his post-'Late Show' project. Colbert's deep Tolkien fandom has long been public. During a 2012 visit to the New Zealand set of 'The Hobbit,' Jackson arranged a trivia contest between Colbert and Boyens, co-writer of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and Oscar winner for 'The Return of the King.' Colbert won. Jackson later told Entertainment Weekly, 'I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life. His encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien is spectacular.' Colbert appeared as a Lake-town spy in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' in 2013, alongside cameos by his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert and sons Peter and John. He has spoken Elvish on air, moderated a 'Hobbit' panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2014 in costume, directed the 2019 short 'Darrylgorn' featuring Jackson, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Wood, organized a 2021 rap tribute with original cast members for the 20th anniversary of 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' and even testified as a Tolkien expert in a 2015 Turkish court case involving a Gollum meme, aiding the defendant's acquittal.
