Warner Bros. Partners with Stephen Colbert for New “Lord of the Rings” Film

Warner Bros. announced on X that they’re collaborating with Stephen Colbert and his son on a new film set in the “Lord of the Rings” universe.

Director Peter Jackson hinted at this development in a video where he provided an update about another project in the franchise, “The Hunt for Gollum.” After sharing some details about that film, he mentioned having a “very special partner” for the next production, titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past.”

During the video, Jackson switched to a call showing a figure whose face was obscured by a book. He then revealed that the partner was none other than Colbert.

In his announcement, Colbert discussed how the new movie will explore chapters from “The Fellowship of the Ring” that were not included in Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation.

Colbert expressed to Jackson, “You know what the books mean to me, and what your films mean to me.” He elaborated on his interest in certain chapters: “I found myself reading over and over again the six chapters early on in The Fellowship that you never developed into the first movie. It essentially covers from ‘Three Is Company’ through ‘Fog on the Barrow-Downs.’ I thought, ‘Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger narrative.’”

He further shared his thoughts on how to approach the new adaptation, pondering, “Could we create something that was completely faithful to the books while also respecting the movies you’ve already made?”

Colbert then explained how his son got involved in the project. He recounted discussing the project with Peter, his son, who is also a screenwriter. “We worked out what we thought would fit, especially as a framing device for that story. It took me a few years to muster the courage to give you a call, but about two years ago I did,” he said, adding that Jackson seemed interested enough to engage in further conversation.