Peter Jackson has shared how Stephen Colbert pitched himself to write the upcoming Lord of the Rings film Shadow of the Past. The project draws from early chapters of the book and will follow the 2027 release of The Hunt for Gollum.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, Peter Jackson described how Stephen Colbert approached him during a re-reading of The Lord of the Rings over Christmas. Colbert proposed adapting the section involving the Hobbits' encounter with a Barrow-wight in unnatural fog, which includes the character Tom Bombadil omitted from earlier films. Jackson said the idea sounded promising and led to a treatment with input from Philippa Boyens, who traveled to meet with Colbert in New Zealand on multiple occasions.
