Posted in: Movies, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros | Tagged: stephen colbert, The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Stephen Colbert To Write The Script For A New Lord Of The Rings Film

Tolkien megafan Stephen Colbert will write the script for a new Lord of the Rings film, and Peter Jackson provides some updates on The Hunt for Gollum.

Director Peter Jackson decided to casually drop some new Lord of the Rings news on us in the middle of the night because why the hell not? He can do whatever he wants. He started the first update with a brief look at The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and made it sound like this is the first of what could be several videos shared during production. He says that they have "got a lot of the old team back again and some new faces," and that " [director and star] Andy [Serkis] is doing a terrific job and it's looking amazing, the script is coming together really well, and I think it's going to be a really good film."

The big news of the video update was the formal announcement concerning the second live-action Lord of the Rings film. We've known another film was on the way since they announced The Hunt for Gollum, but today we got some details, including the working title The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past. Jackson brought on Stephen Colbert, where it was revealed that he will be writing the script with Tolkien veterans Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee.

The Hollywood Reporter has shared the following synopsis: "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." During the video, Colbert revealed that this new film is based on the events that take place between chapters three and six of Fellowship of the Ring. Much like The Hunt for Gollum, they are taking chunks of the books and lore that were unable to be developed the first time around and expanding them into their own films. Colbert ended the video with a joke about how he normally wouldn't have time for something like this, but starting in the summer, he's about to have a lot more free time, referencing The Late Show's cancellation.

The Hunt for Gollum Is The First Of Two New Lord of the Rings Films

We first learned that franchise MVP Serkis would direct and star in The Hunt for Gollum, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens writing the screenplay, and that Walsh, Boyens, and Peter Jackson would produce, along with Zane Weiner, back in May 2024. The film will be executive-produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium's Jonathan Cavendish. In October 2024, Boyens revealed when the film will take place, "It's quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria. It's a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature."

That same interview was when it was clarified that The Hunt for Gollum is not two films; it's one of two live-action Lord of the Rings movies they're working on. "I can tell you definitively it isn't two films!" she says. "That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we've begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being The Hunt For Gollum, the second one still to be confirmed." The first details for the second film, The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, were revealed in March 2026, with Tolkien megafan Stephen Colbert set to write the script. In May 2025, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was dated for December 17, 2027.

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