| The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Writer | Philippa Boyens, Stephen Colbert, and Peter McGee |
| Based on | The Lord of the Rings |
| Producer | Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh |
| Studio | WingNut films, New Line Cinema |
| Distributor | Warner Brothers |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is an upcoming film written by Philippa Boyens, Stephen Colbert, and Peter McGee.[1]
Stephen Colbert, a lifelong fan of Tolkien's novel and Peter Jackson's adaptations, had first appeared in cameo capacity in The Desolation of Smaug, and went on to host panels promoting the films. In one such panel for The Battle of the Five Armies, he made an inquiry about omissions like Tom Bombadil. Off of this familarity with the filmmakers he was also able to produce a short spoof with Peter and his team, and was emboldened to pursue the idea of interpolating the missing chapters of The Fellowship of the Ring back into the body of the films. This idea, which he worked up with his older son Peter McGee, was pitched to Peter Jackson around the time that The Hunt for Gollum entered active development. Years prior, Peter Jackson had considered trying to adapt some of the content of those chapters: they considered giving Tom Bombadil a brief appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring - or adding his part in pickups - and discussed relocating the Barrow downs to An Unexpected Journey.[1]
After Colbert's pitch, they worked on it together before it was greenlit by New Line Cinema in 2026. The idea, which is probably one of three screenplays Peter was working on at the time of writing The Hunt for Gollum, is probably intended to go into production shortly after Andy's film. In an interview, concept artist Alan Lee spoke about there being "so much else happening" in Wellington besides The Hunt for Gollum, presumably referring to this project. Sean Astin and perhaps Billy Boyd are already said to have been contacted to make an appearance, and even Viggo Mortensen (who will not feature in The Hunt for Gollum) said he would be interested in appearing in a later film.[1]
It is unclear what precisely this film would cover. Colbert claims his intent is to be "totally faithful" to the contents of the six missing chapters and to the existing films. But the synopsis speaks of the three remaining Hobbits retracing the first part of their journey, around the time that according to the chronology of the novel they will have met King Elessar on the Brandywine bridge. Meanwhile, Elanor Gamgee is said to "a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began." This latter notion seems to allude to any number of mortal dangers that the Ringbearer had faced in the early phases of the journey covered in the respective chapters.[1]