Stephen Colbert Gets Why You're Scared He's Writing a 'Lord of the Rings' Movie

Anyone who has ever seen an interview with Stephen Colbert knows he’s obsessed with The Lord of the Rings. The soon-to-be former host of The Late Show has regularly flaunted both his fandom and his encyclopedic knowledge of the books and lore on his show, hosting panels at Comic-Con, on podcasts, wherever someone will let him. And, now, he’s set to co-write a movie for Warner Bros. set in that very world. That Colbert is primarily known for his comedy, not screenwriting, has given some fans pause about the idea. And in a new interview, Colbert acknowledged that fact. “I mean, there’s no reason to [trust me],” Colbert told the Hollywood Reporter. “And there’s no value in me addressing that because all you can do as—I’ll use a loaded term here—an artist is follow your heart and the craft that you have learned to try to turn this into something that is not fandom but drama. And luckily, I don’t have to do this alone. I have a great Sherpa in [co-writer and Lord of the Rings veteran] Philippa Boyens, who cares about it in the same way I do. And I will just say that every moment has been a joy so far.” That film, which will come out sometime after next year’s soon-to-start filming of Th

May 8, 2026 → May 8, 2026