New 'The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past' film announced by Peter Jackson

Fans are getting not just one, but two new Lord of the Rings films. Next year brings The Hunt for Gollum, followed by Shadow of the Past, which centers on the hobbits.

It is a heavy legacy to carry – something Amazon's The Rings of Power series has failed to do – but many of the same people behind the iconic movie trilogy are involved in the two upcoming films, according to Peter Jackson.

Jackson, via Warner Bros, revealed The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past (working title) in a video, where he begins by emphasizing that The Hunt for Gollum is shaping up to be a "really good movie".


Stephen Colbert as co-writer
New to the team is former talk show host Stephen Colbert, who will co-write the script for Shadow of the Past alongside Philippa Boyens, who also co-wrote the original trilogy. Peter Jackson is producing.

- "I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life. His encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien is spectacular, and points to a deprived childhood in some respects," Jackson said jokingly about Colbert years ago in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Colbert previously had a small cameo in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug as a spy in Lake-town (Esgaroth).


Chapters 3-8 from the first book
Shadow of the Past draws from chapters 3-8 of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, according to Jackson, while the official synopsis from Warner Bros reads:

- "14 years after Frodo's passing, Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure, while Sam's daughter, Elanor, is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.."

The synopsis suggests that the movie takes place after The Return of the King, with flashbacks to events in The Fellowship of the Ring. Will we finally meet Tom Bombadil? The chapters also include the Old Forest, Old Man Willow and the Barrow-wights.

 Also read: Paramount-Warner aims for 30 theatrical releases a year, up from today

The Hunt for Gollum premieres on December 17, 2027. No release date has been set for Shadow of the Past.

The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past
Peter Jackson reveals the new movie:

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