Stephen Colbert goes from late night to 'Lord of the Rings': Host set to co-write new movie script

Stephen Colbert, with the extremity of his late-night bid little than 2 months away, already has a caller gig lined up: co-writing the publication for an upcoming “Lord of the Rings” movie.

Peter Jackson, the visionary filmmaker who adapted writer J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic phantasy for the large surface successful the aboriginal aughts, teased “very peculiar partner” Colbert’s engagement successful a video posted to societal media Tuesday. In the post, Jackson video calls Colbert, who says he’s “pretty happy” astir the screenwriting role.

Colbert, famously a instrumentality of “The Lord of the Rings,” began his portion of the video by expressing his emotion for Tolkien’s books and Jackson’s films earlier noting his involvement successful earlier chapters of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” He said that worldly could marque for “its ain communicative that could acceptable into the larger story.”

The TV property and screenwriter, 61, said coming up with an thought for a caller movie was a household matter that besides progressive his son, screenwriter Peter McGee. “It took maine a fewer years to scrape my courageousness into a heap to springiness you a call,” helium told Jackson, “but astir 2 years ago, I did. You liked it capable to speech to maine astir it.”

Colbert said helium and Jackson further discussed the task with seasoned screenwriter Philippa Boyens and presented it to accumulation institution NewLine and its genitor company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Boyens, on with with Jackson and screenwriter Fran Walsh, oversaw the “LOTR” and The Hobbit” movie trilogies.

“I could not beryllium happier to accidental that they loved it,” Colbert continued.

Colbert said helium was disquieted helium wouldn’t beryllium capable to equilibrium some the caller “LOTR” movie and his series, “but it turns retired I’m going to beryllium escaped starting the summer.”

Why’s that? CBS, the location web of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” announced successful 2025 its plans to cancel the late-night talker aft much than a decade. The show’s last occurrence is acceptable to aerial May 21.

Since quality of his show’s cancellation, Colbert has been a vocal professional of CBS genitor institution Paramount Global, notably slamming the company’s “big abdominous bribe” of $16 cardinal successful colony payments to President Trump due to the fact that of CBS News’ edits to a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview. He had besides referenced the company’s merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Ellison is the lad of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison.

Though the upcoming extremity of “The Late Show” successful May seemed to awesome a divided betwixt its big and Paramount, it seems he’ll beryllium moving nether the Paramount umbrella erstwhile again. In February, Ellison’s Paramount Skydance emerged victorious successful a competitory bid to get Warner Bros. Discovery, besting Netflix. Deadline reports that the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger volition beryllium successful afloat plaything earlier the extremity of the year.

Warner Bros. Discovery revealed successful May 2024 that it was heading backmost to the Shire with 2 caller films. The archetypal is “The Hunt for Gollum,” starring and directed by ”Lord of the Rings” alum Andy Serkis.

According to Deadline, the “LOTR” task involving Colbert is tentatively titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” and is acceptable much than a decennary aft the decease of cardinal hobbit Frodo. Fellow hobbits “Sam, Merry and Pippin acceptable retired to retrace the archetypal steps of their adventure” portion a caller procreation seeks to unearth a “long-buried secret.”

News of Colbert’s screenwriting gig spurred a scope of reactions connected societal media among the dedicated “Lord of the Rings” instrumentality base, with immoderate users excited for the late-night big and others expressing their disappointment with his involvement.