WASHINGTON — As his late-night television career winds down, Stephen Colbert is already lining up his next big project: contributing to the latest “Lord of the Rings” movie.

Colbert, alongside Peter Jackson, the acclaimed director and co-writer of both the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, hinted at this new endeavor in a tantalizing social media post late Tuesday evening.

Colbert will join forces with Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee to co-write the film, which carries the working title “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.”

A devoted fan of the “Lord of the Rings” series, Colbert shared his enthusiasm for the project while surrounded by an array of J.R.R. Tolkien-themed memorabilia, casually noting these items as part of his collection.

“I’ve always been drawn to the six chapters early in the fellowship that didn’t make it into the first movie,” Colbert remarked. “Specifically, from ‘Three is Company’ through ‘Fog on the Barrow Downs.’ I thought, ‘Could this be a standalone story that complements the larger narrative? Could we create something that remains true to the books while respecting the films you’ve already crafted?'”

The story, which is the eighth chapter of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” also includes a fan favorite character who hasn’t been seen on screen yet — Tom Bombadil.

“I started talking over with my son, Peter, who’s also a screenwriter, and we worked out what we thought would work, especially as a framing device for that story,” Colbert said. “And it took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call, but about two years ago, I did. You liked it enough to talk to me about it. And ever since then, the two of us have been working with the brilliant Philippa Boyens on how to develop the story.”

The movie is set to come after “Lord of the Rings: Hunt for Gollum,” which is in development and being directed by Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. That movie is set to release Dec. 17, 2027. It’s unclear when Colbert’s movie will release, but the story is set 14 years after the passing of Frodo, according to the synopsis and The Hollywood Reporter. 

The “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” series have racked up nearly $6 billion worldwide across six movies, according to Deadline.

“I did not think I would have the time… I knew I couldn’t do (the movie) and do the (talk) show at the same time,” Colbert said. “But it turns out I’m going to be free starting this summer. So, isn’t that fortunate?” he joked. 

No other details are available at this time.