‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past’ Is Still Being Written, Peter Jackson Says

Few franchises carry the weight of Middle-earth. ‘The Return of the King‘ grossed $1.1 billion worldwide and became the highest-grossing film of 2003, so any return to that world is a high-wire act. That’s especially true for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past’, a project that has already survived a surprise announcement and a wave of cancellation chatter.

Warner Bros. revealed the film in a video update in which Jackson brought on Stephen Colbert, a self-described Tolkien superfan, to announce it. Colbert is writing it with Philippa Boyens and his son, Peter McGee, while Jackson, Boyens and Fran Walsh are producing. A late-night host turning up in Middle-earth was one of the stranger franchise stories in recent memory.

The latest word came from Jackson himself. While at the Sitges Film Festival to collect its Honorary Grand Prize, he told the Spanish outlet Fotogramas that the film is in the scriptwriting stage. He also said ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ had about two weeks of shooting left, and that a ‘Tintin’ sequel would be his next directing job.

The timing matters. Reports earlier this month suggested development was on pause after Paramount Skydance completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., with the new leadership reportedly wanting to see how ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ performs first. Jackson’s comments don’t settle that debate, but they do suggest the film hasn’t been canceled.

The official synopsis is what makes this project so intriguing. Fourteen years after Frodo’s passing, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure, while Sam’s daughter Elanor uncovers a long-buried secret about why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it began.

The material it leans on is just as notable. Colbert said he was inspired by rereading ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ and thinking about chapters three to eight, which weren’t included in Jackson’s film adaptation. That framing also makes it the first big-screen adventure set after Tolkien’s own narrative concluded.

There’s a nerdy wrinkle too. Tolkien reportedly started a sequel to ‘The Return of the King’ about 100 years after the War of the Ring, then scrapped it. That makes this film a genuine departure from the author’s own instincts.

Casting remains a blank page. No casting details have been confirmed, so whether Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd return as the older hobbits is still an open question. One outlet noted that a story spanning two eras would likely mean significant de-aging for the original cast.

Right now, there’s no release date and no announced production start, so patience is required. ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ is the franchise’s near-term priority: Andy Serkis directs, filming began on June 29, 2026, and it’s scheduled for theaters in December 2027. Fan speculation points to a late 2028 or 2029 debut for ‘Shadow of the Past’, but nothing official supports that yet.

Reaction to the project has been mixed. One critic argued the franchise is getting stuck in the past by continuing to revisit established stories. Another argued that the ending of ‘The Return of the King’ already set up exactly this kind of story about Sam’s life after Frodo’s departure.

Both camps have a point, and a lot will depend on how the script handles the balance between nostalgia and new ground. With Boyens and Walsh back alongside Jackson, the creative DNA is familiar. The unknowns are how the studio shake-up affects the schedule and whether the framing device lands emotionally.

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