Stephen Colbert’s The Lord of the Rings spinoff has yet to get Elijah Wood on board. Nobody seems quite sure what to make of Colbert’s Shadow of the Past project, a Lord of the Rings spinoff that’s already divided fans. Based on chapters cut from Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy, it has the potential to add something fresh and new to most viewers’ experiences. It’s expected to frame them in a story 14 years after the main events, with Sam’s daughter, Elanor.
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But it seems Frodo actor Elijah Wood isn’t quite ready to commit to Shadow of the Past. Speaking to The Direct, he also explained why those chapters were cut in the first place.
“Okay. Well, it hasn’t.. We’re not there yet… But listen, I think the implication is that the stories that Stephen [Colbert] wants to tell, which are the six chapters that were not committed to film in Fellowship of the Ring, largely because they would have slowed the process of the journey down, because when he leaves Bag End and the Shire, and he has to get to Bree, if it had gone the meandering way that it does in the books, it just would have taken a long time to get to Bree, and… it would have killed momentum.”
Elijah Wood is Right About The Lord of the Rings’ Cut Chapters
To be fair, Wood is right about the decision to cut the chapters associated with Shadow of the Past. They add more depth to Frodo’s relationship with the rest of the Hobbits – one adds more to the attempt to slip away with minimum fuss – and explore more of their initial flight from the Nazgûl. Most of the focus, though, is expected to lie on the character of Tom Bombadil. A mysterious figure who’s never fully explained in the books, Tom Bombadil offers a brief place of sanctuary for the Hobbits, and he even appears immune to the One Rings’ power.
Tolkien used Tom Bombadil to reset tension, which would have had an absolutely devastating effect on the Jackson trilogy. It all culminates in a confrontation with a Barrow-wight, a creature that initially seems intimidating but is frankly far less menacing than anything associated with Sauron and the Nazgûl. It’s reasonable to assume the Barrow-wight will get something of a power-up in Shadow of the Past, and perhaps a vendetta against Sam’s family, explaining why it becomes relevant 14 years later. While a smart script could make all this work, Wood understandably seems wary.
This is, of course, a very big deal. Warner Bros. dream of Shadow of the Past as a Lord of the Rings reunion, bringing back some of the original trilogy’s most beloved characters. It’s a straightforward nostalgia play, and it only works if the original actors all sign up. Wood’s comment seems to suggest he’ll only be willing if he’s satisfied with the script, if the narrative is clear, and if it actually feels like something worth making in its own right.
That’s for the best. To studios, The Lord of the Rings is a franchise. In reality, that trilogy was a cultural milestone, an event that hasn’t been replicated since. Spinoffs and prequels have failed to capture the public imagination in the same way, and there’s a very real danger attempts to capitalize on the franchise could backfire and do damage. We can only hope Wood’s careful remarks mean there will be pressure to get the script perfect, and that the original stars only sign up when they’re fully satisfied.
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