As the clock hit midnight, two bombshell stories dropped in a single news announcement.
There is a new “Lord of the Rings” coming from Warner Bros.
And Stephen Colbert, along with his son, is writing and developing it.
Yes, one of the next big chapters in the “Lord of the Rings” universe will be spearheaded by Colbert, who you’ve seen on Comedy Central and late-night television for the past two decades.
“In honor of Tolkien Reading Day and the destruction of the One Ring, we bring you a special announcement,” Warner Bros. posted on their official social media pages, along with the announcement of the new project.
“I’m pretty happy about it,” Colbert says in the announcement video about helping build the script for the new movie. “You know what the books mean to me.”
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Two years ago, Colbert called filmmaker Peter Jackson about the ideas he had thrown out about a possible story set in the world of Middle-earth. Jackson loved what Colbert was doing, and then that tiny inkling of an idea has now turned into a full-fledged story that will be developed on the silver screen.
Many had wondered what Colbert would be doing with the end of his night show looming, which he joked about in the announcement, saying he’ll have loads of free time to focus on the project now that he’s off of television.
“So, if you’ll excuse me,” he tells Jackson at the end of the announcement video. “I have to go finish a television show, and I gotta write a movie script. But I’ll see you all in the Shire.
The movie’s synopsis was also unveiled, per multiple sources.
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.
No time frame for when the movie could be released or for when casting could begin was announced. We will keep you updated as the story unfolds.
