Stephen Colbert to Write a New Middle-earth Film With Peter Jackson

Stephen Colbert, a longtime Lord of the Rings superfan, will co‑write The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past with his son Peter McGee and Philippa Boyens for director Peter Jackson. The film, linked to the Hunt for Gollum project, would explore chapters from The Fellowship of the Ring not developed for the original 2001 adaptation and follow Sam, Merry, and Pippin about 14 years after Frodo's death. Colbert noted he’ll juggle the writing duties with the end of CBS’s Late Show in May 2026.