Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | March 25, 2026
I'm going to eat a little crow here. I've been pretty open about not wanting to see any new Lord of the Rings movies. We have the trilogy and the Hobbit films (which I've come around to), so no more is needed. The Hunt for Gollum movie coming out in the next year or two does not excite me. It just all feels unnecessary, and while Andy Serkis is clearly invested in the character, it doesn't feel like any new ground can be covered by doing another prequel. But a sequel?
According to Deadline, that's the pitch for a new Lord of the Rings movie that Peter Jackson announced last night on Instagram. It will be called The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, and the description is as follows: "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is set 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."
Sure! Not only does that sound like a lot of fun, but it also means that Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd could return without having to run their faces through a computer filter. Additionally, one of the writers of the film noted that they were taking inspiration from several early chapters from The Fellowship of the Ring that were not included in the film. So, Tom Bombadil will be making an appearance! Oh, and the writer who said that? Stephen Colbert.
Colbert will co-write the script with his son Peter McGee and franchise legend Philippa Boyens. The excitement on the soon-to-be-former late-night host's face when he is revealed in Jackson's announcement video is priceless. He is a well-known LOTR fanatic, having even cameoed with his family in one of Peter Jackson's Hobbit films. Also, as he jokes, he'll have some free time in a couple of months, so he may as well write a movie. That said, the movie will presumably be made by Warner Brothers, which will have some different owners starting in 2027, the same owners who gave Colbert that free time.
At the end of the day, WB clearly sees LOTR as a cash cow that needs to be milked to death. There's a good chance that Paramount sees the same potential. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't cancel something purely out of spite. It would not be the first time. For now, we can just enjoy the fact that one of the biggest Middle Earth nerds is going to write a movie set in that universe with his son, something that probably makes him feel really nice and might make up for a not-so-great last year.
