Stephen Colbert, with the end of his late-night series less than two months away, already has a new gig lined up: co-writing the script for an upcoming “Lord of the Rings” movie.
Peter Jackson, the visionary filmmaker who adapted author J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy for the big screen in the early aughts, teased “very special partner” Colbert’s involvement in a video posted to social media Tuesday. In the post, Jackson video calls Colbert, who says he’s “pretty happy” about the screenwriting role.
Colbert, famously a fan of “The Lord of the Rings,” began his part of the video by expressing his love for Tolkien’s books and Jackson’s films before noting his interest in earlier chapters of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” He said that material could make for “its own story that could fit into the larger story.”
The TV personality and screenwriter, 61, said coming up with an idea for a new movie was a family affair that also involved his son, screenwriter Peter McGee. “It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call,” he told Jackson, “but about two years ago, I did. You liked it enough to talk to me about it.”
Colbert said he and Jackson further discussed the project with veteran screenwriter Philippa Boyens and presented it to production company NewLine and its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Boyens, along with with Jackson and screenwriter Fran Walsh, oversaw the “LOTR” and The Hobbit” film trilogies.
“I could not be happier to say that they loved it,” Colbert continued.
Colbert said he was worried he wouldn’t be able to balance both the new “LOTR” film and his series, “but it turns out I’m going to be free starting the summer.”
Why’s that? CBS, the home network of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” announced in 2025 its plans to cancel the late-night talker after more than a decade. The show’s final episode is set to air May 21.
Since news of his show’s cancellation, Colbert has been a vocal critic of CBS parent company Paramount Global, notably slamming the company’s “big fat bribe” of $16 million in settlement payments to President Trump because of CBS News’ edits to a “60 Minutes” Kamala Harris interview. He had also referenced the company’s merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. Ellison is the son of Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison.
Though the upcoming end of “The Late Show” in May seemed to signal a split between its host and Paramount, it seems he’ll be working under the Paramount umbrella once again. In February, Ellison’s Paramount Skydance emerged victorious in a competitive bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, besting Netflix. Deadline reports that the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger will be in full swing before the end of the year.
Warner Bros. Discovery revealed in May 2024 that it was heading back to the Shire with two new films. The first is “The Hunt for Gollum,” starring and directed by ”Lord of the Rings” alum Andy Serkis.
According to Deadline, the “LOTR” project involving Colbert is tentatively titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” and is set more than a decade after the death of central hobbit Frodo. Fellow hobbits “Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure” while a new generation seeks to unearth a “long-buried secret.”
News of Colbert’s screenwriting gig spurred a range of reactions on social media among the dedicated “Lord of the Rings” fan base, with some users excited for the late-night host and others expressing their disappointment with his involvement.