Though the news was met with something of a mixed response from Tolkien fans, we recently got word that Warner Bros. is developing a new Lord of the Rings movie which will be set (partially, at least) after the events of Peter Jackson's beloved trilogy.
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert and his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, have been enlisted to pen the script for Shadow of the Past, and the story is said to adapt Chapters III ("Three Is Company") through VIII ("Fog On The Barrow-Downs") of The Fellowship Of The Ring, which were largely glossed over in the movie.
This means we will almost certainly meet Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and the terrifying Barrow Wights.
The official logline reads: "Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.”
It seems the movie will serve as both a sequel and a prequel (of a sort) to The War of the Ring. We had assumed the idea would be to bring back Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan as Frodo's loyal companions, and according to scooper Daniel Richtman, Astin, at least, will return as Samwise Gamgee (we can't imagine he'll be the only one).
Richtman has also heard that Anya Taylor-Joy is still in talks for The Hunt for Gollum, but has yet to finalise her deal. He believes this is why her mysterious character was left out of the recent announcement teaser (see below).
"The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in ['The Fellowship of the Ring'] that ya’ll never developed into the first movie back in the day," Colbert said when the project was announced. "It’s basically the chapter 'Three is Company' [Chapter III] through 'Fog on the Barrow-Downs' [Chapter VIII]." "And I thought, 'Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. 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?'"
“It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker – Gollum!,” Jackson, Boyens and Walsh said of The Hunt for Gollum last year. “As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” added Serkis. “With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”.
“For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision,” WBD film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca added. “We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history.”