The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is set to come to an end on May 21, but the comedian and J.R.R. Tolkien superfan has already announced his next project – co-writing and developing a new film in the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” franchise.
Colbert joined “LOTR” director Peter Jackson to reveal the news in a video announcement on X.
“I’m pretty happy about it… you know what the books mean to me and what your films mean to me,” the late-night host told Jackson.
Jackson led the Oscar-winning team behind the nearly $6 billion original “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.
The new instalment will be the second of two upcoming films in the fantasy franchise in production at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Warner Bros. shared the video announcement on social media.
According to Deadline, the film is tentatively titled “Shadow of the Past”.
Developing the next instalment
Colbert stated that the next instalment will be based on parts of Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” book that didn’t make it into the original trilogy.
“The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in (The Fellowship of the Ring) that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day… and I thought, ‘Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story.’” he said.
Colbert said he discussed the idea with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, to work out the framing of the story.
“It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile and give you a call, but about two years ago, I did. You liked it enough to talk to me about it,” Colbert told Jackson.
Colbert said he, McGee and Jackson have been working alongside Philippa Boyens on the development of the story.
“I could not be happier to say that they loved it, and so that’s what we’re going to be working on,” he added.
Jackson also gave audiences an update on the next “LOTR” film, due for release in 2027, “The Hunt for Gollum”, directed by and starring franchise alum Andy Serkis.
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End of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
After 33 years on air, the CBS network announced the end of The Late Show in July 2025 in a surprise statement, citing financial reasons.
The move “is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night [television]” and “is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters”, CBS said.
Colbert broke the news at a taping of the show that week, triggering a chorus of boos from the live studio audience.
“I do want to say that the folks at CBS have been great partners,” he said, adding: “And of course, I’m grateful to you, the audience, who have joined us every night in here, out there, all around the world.”
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