‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past’ Is Still Happening, Here's the Latest Update

Fans of Middle-earth have spent the past few years watching the franchise slowly return to theaters. After new films were announced, the question has been how many of them will actually make it to the screen. That uncertainty is exactly why a fresh update from Peter Jackson matters.

The producer of the original trilogy has two new projects in the pipeline. One is ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’, directed by Andy Serkis, who also plays the title character and is due to arrive in theaters on December 17, 2027. The other is a sequel to ‘The Return of the King’ written with a very famous Tolkien superfan.

That project is ‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past’, and it’s the focus of the latest update. ScreenTime shared that Jackson has confirmed the film is in the scriptwriting stage, a response to rumors earlier this month that development had stalled. According to the report, the movie takes place 14 years after the events of ‘The Return of the King’.

Jackson made the comments while accepting the Honorary Grand Prize at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain, according to IGN. They follow reports that Paramount Skydance had paused the project after the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Movieweb notes that the new regime reportedly wants to see how ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ performs before letting the sequel proceed, though that remains unconfirmed.

The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is in the scriptwriting stage, Peter Jackson confirms The movie takes place 14 years after The Return of the King https://t.co/gj0ymMuNk2
— ScreenTime (@screentime) October 20, 2026

Warner Bros. did eventually clarify that the project hadn’t been canceled. Jackson’s confirmation adds to that, and IGN observed that the sudden end of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ earlier this year had led some fans to fear the worst. For now, the film still doesn’t have a release date or a production start.

The film, which carries a working title, was announced by Warner Bros. and New Line in March. The official synopsis says that 14 years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. According to Flickering Myth, Sam’s daughter Elanor also discovers a long-buried secret and sets out to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.

The title itself is a nod to the second chapter of Tolkien’s novel, which the author described as a crucial chapter. The movie is reported to draw on chapters three through eight of the book, and SlashFilm noted that it will be the first big-screen adventure to take place after Tolkien’s narrative concluded. Colbert has suggested that the film will revisit unadapted material while using a framing device set after the events of ‘The Return of the King’.

The creative team is a mix of old and new. Stephen Colbert is writing the screenplay with his son, Peter McGee, and Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the original trilogy with Jackson. Jackson and Fran Walsh are producing, keeping the project tied to the team that shaped the earlier films.

“The Lord of the Rings” executive producer Peter Jackson shared updates surrounding two upcoming Middle-earth films, “The Hunt for Gollum” and “Shadow of the Past.” https://t.co/6UMZxGr9tX https://t.co/a1NuYICWmQ
— SYFY (@SYFY) October 19, 2026

Whether the original hobbit actors will return is unclear. SlashFilm raised the question of whether Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd would reprise their roles, but nothing has been confirmed. It’s a question that fans will likely keep asking until casting is announced.

Now is the mighty hour. Watch the Official Teaser Trailer to The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, streaming November 11 on Prime Video. https://t.co/BHMFbvLUQp
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) July 24, 2026

Jackson also offered updates on the rest of the slate. ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ is almost finished filming, with Cosmic Book News reporting that about two weeks of shooting remain. It opens on the same day as ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, which sets up a December 2027 clash.

As for his own plans, Jackson said the script for the second ‘Tintin’ film is already written and that it will be the next film he makes. That means he’s balancing producing duties on Middle-earth with a project of his own. For fans, the takeaway is cautiously positive. The sequel isn’t dead, but it’s also still at the earliest stages, and the film’s future may depend on how its predecessor performs.