Popular television host Stephen Colbert, his scenarist son Peter McGee, and writer Philippa Boyens are developing a new Lord of the Rings movie, Warner Bros announced through social media earlier this Wednesday. It is expected to commence production after The Hunt for Gollum, which is set to star and to be directed by Andy Serkis. Before making the announcement with Stephen Colbert in a video conference call, the original LOTR trilogy's director Peter Jackson gave an update about The Hunt for Gollum. Speaking about the film, which brings back Serkis in the iconic Gollum role, Jackson said, "Andy is doing a terrific job. It’s looking amazing. The script is coming together really well and I think it’s going to be a really good film."
Then, Jackson introduced Colbert, who is said to be an admirer of the fantasy universe created by JRR Tolkien. Colbert revealed that his film will delve into the chapters that Jackson did not explore in the 2001 film The Fellowship of the Ring, namely 'Three is Company' and 'Fog on the Barrow-Downs'. Colbert also suggested that the movie would be fully faithful to both Tolkien's books and Jackson's film adaptations. Colbert revealed that the Warner Bros team, including Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, "loved it" as well.
The television anchor also revealed that he talked about the idea for the film with his son McGee, and they formed a so-called 'framing device' for it. Colbert has been working on a script with Jackson and Boyens for the past two years. He also noted that since he will be free of his late show commitments soon, he can work on the film.
Widely regarded as Jackson’s most accomplished work, the LOTR trilogy earned as many as 17 Academy Award wins, 11 of which went to its epic conclusion, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Subsequently, Jackson adapted Tolkien's The Hobbit as well, telling the story across three parts.
