New Lord of the Rings Sequel: Sam, Merry, Pippin Return

0:00On March 25, nearly 25 years after Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy hit theaters, Middle Earth is back with a new sequel called, The Lord of the Rings Shadows of the Past. This one reunites the Hobbits, Sam, Mary, and Pippin, 14 years after Frodo's sales to the undying lands. The story follows the older Hobbits as they retrace their original adventure steps. Meanwhile, Sam's daughter Eleanor uncovers a buried secret about why the War of the Ring almost failed right at the start. Fans have mixed feelings about this project. Some worry it messes with the movie's perfect ending or relies on tricky de-aging tech or even artificial intelligence. Others see promise in adapting parts of Tolkien's book that Jackson skipped. Those skipped sections cover chapters 3 through 7 of the Fellowship of the Ring, including threats from strange creatures and the fan favorite, character, Tom Bombadillo, who never made the films. Stephen Colbert is co-writing the script, which could frame the tale through flashbacks for a reflective vibe closer to Tolkien's style.

1:02It might just deliver a fresh chapter for longtime fans. Pop Culture, powered by AI, This is Entertainment and celebrity news today.