US TV host Stephen Colbert has announced his next move after his late-night talk show ends - co-writing a new Lord of the Rings film.

Colbert, who is well-known to be a JRR Tolkien superfan, will adapt an early section of the first Lord of the Rings novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee.

In a clip of a call with director Peter Jackson, Colbert said it would be its own story that could fit into the larger story, and remain completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made.

TV network CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert's late-night show last summer, and it will end in May after 33 years.

Colbert said he came up with the idea for the film, reportedly titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, but did not think I would have the time to work on it.

As much as I love it, I knew I couldn't do that [film] and do the show at the same time. But it turns out I'm going to be free starting this summer.

Colbert is planning to adapt chapters three to eight of The Fellowship of the Ring, in which Frodo and his fellow hobbits begin their epic quest.

Colbert told Jackson, You know what the books mean to me and what your films mean to me, expressing his deep appreciation for the material. He added: But the thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in the Fellowship that y'all never developed into the first movie back in the day.

The film's official synopsis says: Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam's daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.

Colbert’s collaborations include not only McGee but also Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the previous Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Jackson directed the hugely successful Lord of the Rings film series more than 20 years ago, winning best director at the Oscars for The Fellowship of the Ring in 2004.

With developments already underway for Colbert's adaptation, the project promises to blend his passion for the world of Middle-earth with a fresh narrative, exciting fans of the franchise.