Stephen Colbert Responds to Concerns He's Only Making a Lord of the Rings Spinoff Because He's a Famous Fan

Lord of the Rings superfan Stephen Colbert has addressed complaints astir his upcoming spinoff movie, Shadow of the Past, and dismissed the thought helium needs to beryllium his worthy to fans.

Colbert's announcement that helium was co-writing the latest Lord of the Rings spinoff task raised eyebrows earlier this twelvemonth — firstly astatine determination being yet another extension of the Middle-earth franchise connected the way, but besides astatine Colbert himself being involved.

The seasoned precocious nighttime talkshow big has agelong been nationalist astir his emotion and cognition for Middle-earth, and has written for his ain shows for decades — though thing connected the standard of a Lord of the Rings movie.

Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Colbert has acknowledged the online effect from immoderate Middle-earth fans to the film's announcement — aft galore suggested helium lone got the occupation due to the fact that helium was a high-profile fan, alternatively than due to the fact that helium was the champion idiosyncratic to constitute a Lord of the Rings movie script.

"I mean, there's nary crushed to," Colbert said erstwhile asked wherefore fans should spot him with the franchise. "And there's nary worth successful maine addressing that due to the fact that each you tin bash arsenic — I'll usage a loaded word present — an creator is travel your bosom and the trade that you person learned to effort to crook this into thing that is not fandom but drama."

Shadow of the Past volition travel Andy Serkis' upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arsenic yet different summation to The Lord of the Rings' movie canon, this clip extending the archetypal trilogy's communicative by revealing events unseen during the Fellowship of the Ring film.

Essentially, Colbert's movie volition item chapters 3 to 8 of Tolkien's archetypal Fellowship novel, which were near retired of Peter Jackson's movie adaptation. These pages spot the Hobbits task further retired of the Shire and brushwood the mysterious fig of Tom Bombadil — events which Jackson skipped implicit to get the characters to Bree and Weathertop astatine a greater pace.

A statement of the movie suggests these chapters volition beryllium explored done flashback, with an older Sam, Merry and Pippin recalling their past adventures to Elanor, Sam's daughter, much than a decennary aft the decision of Return of the King.

"Fourteen years aft the passing of Frodo – Sam, Merry, and Pippin acceptable retired to retrace the archetypal steps of their adventure," reads a Shadow of the Past synopsis. "Meanwhile, Sam's daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried concealed and is determined to uncover wherefore the War of the Ring was precise astir mislaid earlier it adjacent began."

But portion Colbert is seen by galore fans arsenic the astir high-profile idiosyncratic moving connected the film, helium is not penning its publication solo.

"Luckily, I don't person to bash this alone," Colbert continued. "I person a large Sherpa successful [co-writer and LOTR veteran] Philippa Boyens, who cares astir it successful the aforesaid mode I do. And I volition conscionable accidental that each infinitesimal has been a joyousness truthful far."

Boyens, a adjacent collaborator with Jackson, besides co-wrote the scripts for the archetypal Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, arsenic good arsenic Jackson's different projects specified arsenic King Kong and The Lovely Bones.

For now, fans volition apt person to hold a portion longer for much details connected The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, which presently lacks a merchandise date. In the meantime, The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to beryllium released connected 17 December 2027, and earlier that there's the 3rd play of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power owed aboriginal this year.

Image source: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for FLC.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social