Peter Jackson announces “Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” – with Sam, Merry and Pippin. Stephen Colbert came up with the idea. All information about the new Middle-earth film.
These are exciting times for fans of the “Lord of the Rings” cosmos. With “The Hunt for Gollum”, the next adventure from Middle-earth will soon go into final production. Now there was surprising news about another spin-off from the series.
This is supposed to bring back well-known heroes – and a famous late-night host from the USA also has a hand in it.
Film about previously unpublished chapters
Peter Jackson had good news to announce for the fan camp surrounding the “Lord of the Rings” saga via a video message – which Warner Bros. shared on Instagram on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. On the one hand, he talked about the next spin-off “The Hunt for Gollum”: The script is taking more and more shape, the final start of production is imminent, and the film has also been finally announced for 2027.
But that’s not all: The next project will continue after “The Hunt for Gollum”. This is called “Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” and will deal with a previously unfilmed part of J. R. R. Tolkien’s book “The Fellowship of the Ring”.
What is it about and which heroes are there?
The new spin-off is set to take place 14 years after the third part “The Return of the King”. The focus is on three already familiar faces: the hobbits Sam, Merry and Pippin. Once loyal companions of the ring bearer Frodo, this time they are the focus themselves – and set out to relive the first steps of the adventure back then. In addition, Elanor, the daughter of the hobbit Sam, is supposed to be on the trail of a secret.
It is not yet known whether the then Hobbit actors Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd will return to their roles.
What does Stephen Colbert have to do with “Shadow of the Past”?
In fact, the well-known US late night host Stephen Colbert had the idea for the latest work in the series. On his show “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” he repeatedly expressed his enthusiasm for the “Lord of the Rings” universe – now he’s even getting involved himself. Together with his son Peter McGee, he worked out a draft script, which he then discussed with Peter Jackson and is now further developed together with the screenwriter Philippa Boyens.
Regarding the work process itself, he said in the video: “I kept seeing myself going back to those early six chapters that you never put in the first film. It’s the chapter ‘Walking for Three’ [in anderen Übersetzungen auch ‘Drei Mann Hoch’, im englischen Original ‘Three is Company’] to ‘Mist on the Barrow Heights’. And I thought, ‘Oh, wait, maybe this could be its own story that fits into the larger story. Can we do something that feels faithful to the books, but also completely faithful to the films you’ve already made?'”
There is no exact information about the start of production or even a start time for “Shadow of the Past”. Since “The Hunt for Gollum” will go into production first, “Shadow of the Past” is expected to start in 2029 – so fans will have to be patient.
