Stephen Colbert recently announced he’s writing a sequel to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies. Titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, the new story will follow some familiar heroes as they revisit parts of their original adventure. The script will be inspired by six chapters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring book that weren’t included in Jackson’s films, beginning with the chapter “Three is Company” and ending with “Fog on the Barrow-downs.”
Colbert previously highlighted these chapters of the story on The Late Show in 2024, during a segment celebrating Tolkien Reading Day. He identified them as his favorite part of The Lord of the Rings. While the upcoming film, Shadows of the Past, intends to stay true to the book, Colbert’s known preference for these sections suggests they may receive particular focus, offering fans a hint of what to anticipate.
The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past Will Have a Distinct Tone
These chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring detail Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and Pippin Took’s travels from the Shire to Bree. Peter Jackson’s film focuses on just three key events during this part of the story. One of these – a sighting of a procession of Elves by Frodo and Sam – only appears in the extended edition. The film also shows Merry and Pippin, and depicts all four hobbits escaping the Nazgûl who were chasing Frodo.
This part of the journey in the book was much longer, as Frodo and his friends had to travel through the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs. During their travels, they met the enigmatic Tom Bombadil and faced dangerous undead creatures known as Barrow-wights. While the hobbits did obtain magical swords that would prove useful later against the Nazgûl, these events didn’t significantly affect the overall story of The Lord of the Rings, which is why they were left out of the original film trilogy.
In a 2024 interview, Colbert explained his fondness for these chapters, describing them as “peaceful” and “beautiful.” While the hobbits encountered some threats, such as the Nazgûl and Barrow-wights, this part of the story was generally cheerful. No one died or suffered serious injuries, and the One Ring hadn’t yet begun to strongly influence Frodo. The first half of The Fellowship of the Ring felt similar to the lighthearted style of The Hobbit.
I was so captivated by the first two chapters of Shadows of the Past, “Three is Company” and “A Short Cut to Mushrooms” – they really felt like a beautiful tribute to the English countryside! While I’m anticipating some thrilling and maybe even scary moments in the film, it sounds like it won’t be overly dark or heavy, which I think is perfect.
Stephen Colbert Highlighted an Obscure The Lord of the Rings Character
It’s also interesting to consider which characters Stephen Colbert highlighted and left out when talking about The Lord of the Rings. While fans often discuss Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-wights, Colbert didn’t mention them in his explanation of what he likes about this part of the story, suggesting they might not be as important in his interpretation.
Colbert mentioned a character named Gildor, who led a group of Elves. Unlike the movie, where the Elves simply passed by Frodo and Sam, the book gave Gildor and his companions a more significant part. They used their singing to hold off the Nazgûl, and they welcomed the hobbits to their camp for the night, where they discussed Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf.
Okay, so I’m really excited about Shadows of the Past, but it’s not just Stephen Colbert’s vision driving the whole thing, which is actually kind of a relief! His son, Peter McGee, is helping him write the screenplay, and even better, Philippa Boyens – the amazing writer behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies – is involved too. Plus, we still don’t know who’s directing! It means the film won’t just be about what Colbert likes, and thankfully, these comments from a couple of years ago give us some pretty good clues about what we can expect to see on screen.
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2026-04-07 00:08