Stephen Colbert already has a brand new job lined up for when he ends his 11-year run as host of “The Late Show” in May – the comic and well-known J.R.R. Tolkien superfan introduced he’ll co-write and develop a brand new movie in the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” franchise.
Colbert joined “LOTR” director Peter Jackson to reveal the information in a video announcement.
“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 instructed Jackson, who led the Oscar-winning workforce behind the almost $6 billion unique “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.
It’ll be the second of two new upcoming films in the fantasy franchise in manufacturing at Warner Bros. Discovery, the mum or dad firm of NCS, with New Line Cinema. Warner Bros. shared the video announcement on its social media.
The movie is tentatively titled “Shadow of the Past,” in accordance to Deadline.
Jackson additionally gave audiences an replace on the next “LOTR” movie, due to be launched in 2027 – “The Hunt for Gollum” – directed by and starring franchise alum Andy Serkis.
Colbert mentioned the next installment might be based mostly on components of Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” e-book that didn’t make it into the unique motion pictures.
“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 mentioned.
Colbert mentioned he mentioned the thought along 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 instructed Jackson.
Colbert mentioned he, McGee and Jackson have been working alongside screenwriter Philippa Boyens on the improvement 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,” Colbert mentioned.
Colbert introduced in January the remaining episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will air on May 21 after CBS determined final 12 months to cancel the highly rated late-night program, citing monetary strain.
Colbert nodded to the present’s upcoming ending in his newest announcement, saying: “it turns out I’m going to be free starting this summer.”
It’s no secret that Colbert is a long-time fan of the fantasy collection, usually citing the books and movies in his segments. The Tolkien professional additionally moderated a ‘Hobbit’ panel in full costume throughout Comic-Con in 2014.