However, it’s the recently announced Lord of the Rings movie, The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, that is going to make the original Lord of the Rings trilogy’s ending so much more painful than it already is. The new movie, co-written by Stephen Colbert, Philippa Boyens, and Peter McGee, will be set 14 years after The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’s ending.
The movie will presumably have some sort of flashback or other timeline adjustment, though, as Shadow of the Past will reportedly also feature stories/chapters from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that didn’t appear in Peter Jackson’s movies. While exciting, this combination will also prove absolutely gutting because of how The Return of the King ends.
The Shadow Of The Past Will Revisit The Hobbits’ Story
As mentioned, Shadow of the Past’s story will (seemingly) comprise two parts: one part set 14 years after The Return of the King and one set during The Fellowship of the Ring. In terms of what is set after Return of the King, current information indicates that Sam, Merry, and Pippin’s life in the Shire will be shown, as will Sam’s daughter.
The Fellowship of the Ring stories included in Shadow of the Past will reportedly come from chapters 3 through 8 of the original book, with a specific focus on chapter 8, “Fog on the Barrow-Downs.” In the books, this story sees Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin captured by the terrifying Lord of the Rings creatures the Barrow-wights before they are ultimately saved by Tom Bombadil.
With that information in mind, it seems most likely that the movie will be set primarily in the period 14 years after The Return of the King but will incorporate flashbacks to the hobbits’ journey, including “Fog on the Barrow-Downs.” This raises an interesting question about whether Frodo will appear in the flashback story, although his fate 14 years after The Return of the King has already been sealed.
Frodo’s Departure Was Already Painful Enough
At the end of The Return of the King, the hobbits return to the Shire as heroes, having saved Middle-Earth and been honored with bows from everyone in Gondor, including the newly crowned King Aragorn. As should be expected of hobbits, however, all they really wanted to do was settle back into their home, safe from the dangers they had endured.
Although they do so, it’s clear that Frodo was (understandably) never the same. He had suffered enormously under the weight of the One Ring and had very nearly died, so even the ale and the green grass of the Shire couldn’t restore him to the hobbit he had been before. Knowing that this would forever be his fate, Frodo ultimately decided to go with Gandalf and Bilbo to the Undying Lands.
In many ways, this was a beautiful end to Frodo’s story. He had experienced so many horrors by that point, and it would have been painful to see him live with those scars—both literal and figurative—for decades after. He, perhaps more than anyone else in that story, deserved peace in the end.
Even so, the end of The Return of the King is emotionally brutal. Presumably to avoid extending the painful goodbyes, Frodo didn’t let Sam, Merry, and Pippin know that he was leaving. They find out just before Frodo boards the ship, and they are visibly gutted. All three are crying as they watch Frodo leave, and Sam in particular looks crushed.
It was always tragic to know that Merry, Pippin, and Sam then had to head back to the Shire, never to see Frodo and Gandalf again. Yet, Shadow of the Past is going to make this even more emotional by reminding audiences just how much the hobbits lost and what their years following the original trilogy looked like.
Seeing The Three Hobbits Without Frodo Will Be Salt In The Wound
In terms of the part of Shadow of the Past set after The Return of the King, it’s guaranteed that Frodo won’t be there because of his conclusion in the original trilogy. That alone is going to be painful, as audiences will get to see all three hobbits reunited on screen without their fourth companion (who they are very likely still missing/grieving).
The reminder that Frodo is gone won’t be the only painful part of this movie, though. If the stories from The Fellowship of the Ring are set in the past/done in flashback, as they almost certainly will be, then Frodo will presumably be there. It hasn’t yet been confirmed that Frodo is returning alongside Merry, Sam, and Pippin, but it seems impossible that he wouldn’t be.
It will, of course, be wonderful to see these friends together on screen once again, but getting to see their friendship again for the first time in many years will serve as a reminder of all that they lost. After all, even if this was a beautiful end for Frodo, the truth is, these hobbits were all robbed of a truly peaceful long life.
In fact, it is really the combination that will be the most painful of all, as the movie will presumably jump between the stories of the four hobbits together and the present day, in which Frodo is gone. It also seems very likely that the hobbits, particularly Sam, will talk about Frodo in the ‘present’ day (in terms of the movie), which will also be painful.
Ultimately, this will in turn make the ending of The Return of the King even more painful to watch moving forward too, given that audiences will now have even more familiarity with the friendship of the four hobbits. While it’s exciting to know that The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is coming, there’s no denying that this new installment is about to be brutal.