Stephen Colbert to co-write new Lord Of The Rings film

US talk show host Stephen Colbert will co-write a new Lord Of The Rings film after his programme was axed.

The 61-year-old, known for hosting The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, is a long-time fan of the fantasy series and has partnered with Lord Of The Rings filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson to write a new film for the beloved franchise.

It comes after CBS announced that it was cancelling Colbert’s talk show this May for financial reasons.

Announcing the news on Wednesday in a video with Sir Peter, Colbert said he was inspired by six chapters early on in The Fellowship Of The Ring, which is the first novel of the JRR Tolkien series.

Reportedly titled The Lord Of The Rings: Shadow Of The Past, the film will take place 14 years after the death of Frodo and follow Sam, Merry and Pippin as they 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.

Speaking about how he got involved in the project, Colbert said: “The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in the Fellowship that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day.

“It’s basically the chapters Three Is Company through Fog On The Barrow-downs.

“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?'”

Colbert pitched the idea to Sir Peter before developing it with screenwriter Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the scripts for the Lord Of The Rings series and The Hobbit trilogy.

He continued: “It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you (Sir Peter) a call but about two years ago I did, you liked it enough to talk to me about it.”

Sir Peter later joked about whether Colbert will have enough time to write the script, which he replied: “I did not think I would have the time as much as I love it.

“I knew I couldn’t do that and do the show at the same time but it turns out I’m going to be free starting this summer.

“Isn’t that a eucatastrophe, right there?

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to finish the television show and I’ve got to write a movie script, but I will see you all in the Shire.”

It is the second upcoming addition to the franchise and will follow on from The Lord Of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum which is expected to premiere in 2027 and is directed by Gollum himself, Andy Serkis.