Colbert and Jackson team up for new 'Lord of the Rings' film

Stephen Colbert is relocating from New York City to Middle-earth after his talk show comes to an end.

The host said he will be writing a new film in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, CNN reported.

Colbert was joined by the “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson for the announcement. The pair will be co-writing the story.

They made the announcement as part of Tolkien Reading Day.

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The movie that Jackson and Colbert are working on will be produced after the upcoming film “The Hunt for Gollum” and will focus on six early chapters of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Colbert explained.

“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,” he said. “It’s basically chapters ‘Three Is Company’ through ‘Fog on the Barrow-downs,’ and 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 that you guys had already made?’”

He said he spoke with his son and screenwriter Peter McGee about the story that didn’t make the cut for the original “Lord of the Rings” story, CNN reported.

The movie that Colbert pitched is tentatively called “Shadow of the Past,” according to Deadline.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ” was canceled and will air its last episodes in May.

Colbert is well known for his expertise with JRR Tolkien’s world and his obsession with the series, and will frequently work the books or the films into his show. He even moderated a “Hobbit” panel while wearing a full costume at 2014’s Comic-Con, CNN reported.

The talk show host also had a cameo in “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and directed the short film “Darrylgorn,” according to Variety.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was released in 2001. The trilogy earned 17 Oscars overall, with the final chapter “The Return of the King” winning 11, the trade publication reported.

The six films of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” have grossed more than $5.9 billion globally, according to Deadline.