A new Lord Of The Rings sequel is in development, with Stephen Colbert announced as a writer on the project.
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The film, titled The Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of The Past, was announced by Peter Jackson on studio Warner Bros’ social media channels, coinciding with Tolkien Reading Day on Tuesday (March 24). The director first gave an update on The Hunt For Gollum, a prequel to the original trilogy directed by Andy Serkis.
“Andy is doing a terrific job. It’s looking amazing,” he said. “The script is coming together really well and I think it’s going to be a really good film.” He then introduced his “very special partner” for a new project, with talk show host Colbert joining him via video call.
A well-known Tolkien expert, who had a cameo in The Hobbit films, he said to Jackson: “You know what the books mean to me, and what your films mean to me. But the thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in [The Fellowship of the Ring] that ya’ll never developed into the first movie back in the day.”
In honor of Tolkien Reading Day and the destruction of the One Ring, we bring you a special announcement. pic.twitter.com/ufh9RLBIxO
— Warner Bros. (@warnerbros) March 25, 2026
“It’s basically the chapter Three Is Company [Chapter III] through Fog On The Barrow-Downs [Chapter VIII]. And I thought, ‘Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?’”
He then explained that he discussed the idea with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, with the pair creating a framing device that was then presented to Jackson. Following his approval, veteran Lord Of The Rings screenwriter Philippa Boyens, was brought in to join them in developing a script.
The official synopsis reads: “Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.” Further details are yet to be released.
Released between 2001 and 2003, Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was a celebrated hit, winning a combined 17 Oscars and making over $2.9billion (£2.1billion) worldwide. A trilogy based on The Hobbit book was released between 2012 and 2014, also directed by Jackson. The three movies made around the same amount at the box office as their predecessors.
Recently, Kate Winslet was announced as being the female lead in The Hunt For Gollum. The prequel is scheduled for a December 17, 2027 release date.
English (US) · 