This is not a drill. Warner Bros. has announced that Stephen Colbert, one of the most famously devoted Tolkien fans on the planet, is developing a brand new Lord of the Rings film alongside his son and screenwriter Peter McGee. The announcement dropped in a video that opened with director Peter Jackson himself teasing a “very special partner” before patching in Colbert over video call. Colbert, who has spent decades openly gushing about his love of Tolkien’s work, revealed that his film will adapt six early chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring that Jackson’s beloved 2001 film never touched. Chapters III through VIII will be explored, spanning “Three is Company” through “Fog on the Barrow-Downs”, book material that Jackson never put on screen.
Over the past two years, Colbert and McGee have been developing the project alongside legendary Lord of the Rings screenwriter Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote all three of Jackson’s original films. Colbert described working out a “framing device” that would make the story feel completely faithful both to Tolkien’s books and to Jackson’s existing film trilogy, a rare and ambitious balancing act. Jackson’s three original films earned a staggering 17 Oscar wins combined, with The Return of the King sweeping 11 awards at the 2004 ceremony. Jackson also provided an update on the separate upcoming Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis, saying it’s looking “amazing” with the script coming together well. For Tolkien fans, this is the greatest news since the Shire.
Source: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/lord-of-the-rings-movie-stephen-colbert-warner-bros-1236698684/
