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Anyone who has ever seen an interview with Stephen Colbert knows he\u2019s obsessed with The Lord of the Rings<\/em>. The soon-to-be former host of The Late Show<\/em> has regularly flaunted both his fandom and his encyclopedic knowledge of the books and lore on his show, hosting panels at Comic-Con, on podcasts, wherever someone will let him. And, now, he\u2019s set to co-write a movie for Warner Bros. set in that very world.<\/p>\n That Colbert is primarily known for his comedy, not screenwriting, has given some fans pause about the idea. And in a new interview, Colbert acknowledged that fact. \u201cI mean, there\u2019s no reason to [trust me],\u201d Colbert told the Hollywood Reporter. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no value in me addressing that because all you can do as\u2014I\u2019ll use a loaded term here\u2014an artist is follow your heart and the craft that you have learned to try to turn this into something that is not fandom but drama. And luckily, I don\u2019t have to do this alone. I have a great Sherpa in [co-writer and Lord of the Rings<\/em>\u00a0veteran] Philippa Boyens, who cares about it in the same way I do. And I will just say that every moment has been a joy so far.\u201d<\/p>\n That film, which will come out sometime after next year\u2019s soon-to-start filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Search for Gollum,<\/em> is tentatively called The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past<\/em>. It\u2019s set 14 years after The Return of the King<\/em> and is inspired by the fact Peter Jackson\u2019s movies skipped some early chapters in The Fellowship of the Ring.<\/em> \u201cSam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam\u2019s 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,\u201d the original press release said. It\u2019s not confirmed, but the assumption is Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd would reprise their roles as Sam, Merry, and Pippin.<\/p>\n Colbert, who\u2019ll write the film with not just Boyens but Peter McGee too, wasn\u2019t going to do that. But then CBS canceled The Last Show,<\/em> and he found himself with some free time.<\/p>\n No word on when Shadow of the Pas<\/em>t might come to be or who\u2019ll direct it, but we\u2019re looking at 2029 or 2030 as possible release windows. Do you trust Colbert with this franchise? Let us know below.<\/p>\n Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n