Stephen Colbert’s Dream LOTR Movie Is Impossible to Make

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The second of two new live-action movies will be The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, penned by Stephen Colbert. The film will cover six chapters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings book that Peter Jackson left out of his original trilogy. While Colbert has previously spoken highly of these chapters, they aren’t actually the part of Middle-earth’s story he’s most excited to see adapted for the cinema.

A few months before the announcement of Shadows of the Past in November 2025, Stephen Colbert participated in a series called “Actually Me” on GQ‘s YouTube channel, where he answered questions from the internet. When asked which Tolkien story he’d most like to see made into a movie, a commenter correctly predicted his answer: the story of Beren and Lúthien. Sadly, despite its popularity with fans, this tale from Tolkien’s world probably won’t ever be adapted for the screen.

Beren and Lúthien Were Some of Middle-earth’s Most Important Characters

The love story of Beren and Lúthien is considered one of the most important tales from the early history of Middle-earth, ranking alongside the story of the Fall of Gondolin. Beren, a distant ancestor of Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, fell in love with Lúthien, an Elven princess and ancestor of Arwen. However, Lúthien’s father, King Thingol, disapproved of their relationship because Beren was mortal, and set him an incredibly difficult challenge.

Thingol tasked Beren with a dangerous mission: stealing a magical jewel called a Silmaril. Beren agreed, and despite Thingol’s disapproval, Lúthien insisted on joining him. Their journey was filled with peril, as they battled monstrous werewolves, the ruthless Sons of Fëanor, and even the powerful Sauron. The story of Beren and Lúthien shares similarities with that of Aragorn and Arwen, notably Lúthien’s choice to give up her immortality to live a mortal life with Beren.

Stephen Colbert described this tale as “the story for Tolkien,” a fitting description considering it was deeply inspired by his love for his wife, Edith. Tolkien was so moved by the story that he asked for the names of Beren and Lúthien – the story’s central couple – to be placed on his and Edith’s tombstone. Given this personal connection, why didn’t Colbert pursue his own Middle-earth project when given the opportunity? The usual obstacle for adaptations – rights issues – prevented it.

The Lord of the Rings Only Mentioned Beren and Lúthien Briefly

The story of Beren and Lúthien is found in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and a separate book dedicated to their tale. The Tolkien Estate still owns the rights to these stories and hasn’t allowed any adaptations. Currently, only The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are available for adaptation, a right granted in 1969. While there’s a possible way around this restriction, it could create new issues.

As a huge fan of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, I always loved the extended edition’s inclusion of Aragorn telling Frodo the tale of Beren and Lúthien. It got me thinking – you could actually make a movie just from that story, as told within The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s all right there in the text, which is fascinating because it might mean you could tell that epic romance without getting tangled up in complicated rights issues.

This section of the novel was only a little over a page long, offering a broad overview of Beren and Lúthien’s story. Important details from The Silmarillion, like Beren losing his hand in a fight with the werewolf Carcharoth, had to be left out or changed significantly. The Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power handled the lore of Middle-earth in a comparable way, and faced considerable criticism for it.

This highlights the challenge of continuing The Lord of the Rings series. Peter Jackson masterfully adapted the core story, leaving only two paths forward: retelling the main events or focusing on smaller, less significant details from the books. While fans might enjoy seeing stories like Beren and Lúthien adapted for the screen, not every story needs to be a movie. Tolkien’s work has already deeply moved many readers, including Stephen Colbert, and it can continue to inspire them through the books for years to come.

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Colbert’s Impossible Dream Film: Test Your Beren and Lúthien Knowledge
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2026-04-21 19:52