Stephen Colbert recently revealed his unexpected next career move after his run on CBS’ The Late Show comes to an end in May. He will co-write the new Lord of the Rings movie, Shadows of the Past.
He may have hinted at the announcement on Monday’s episode of his podcast “Smartless” (recorded on March 18, a week before the “LOTR” project was announced on March 24).
Asked by co-hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes what he would do once he leaves his desk at the Ed Sullivan Theater, Colbert declined to elaborate, but said, “I’ll tell you what, I’m the best.” He’s someone who did something that I admired — I mean, I don’t respect him the most, but what really struck me was, you know what[Bill]Hader did when he left ‘SNL’? He went and wrote ‘South.’ Park it for one season. ”
Colbert recalled sitting behind Hader at the Emmy Awards shortly after leaving “Saturday Night Live.” Hader left the NBC sketch comedy series in 2013 and returned to “South Park,” where he previously worked as a creative consultant, producer and voice actor.
“I said, ‘Well, that’s perfect,’ give them something they already like,” Colbert said. “Look, can I help people whose work I really respect? I thought that would be great. Don’t even worry about the status of your previous job. Just do what you love.”
Colbert teased that plans are in the works, but he won’t tell the “Smartless” host what they are, saying, “Because then you do it. I know what Hollywood is like.”
Six days later, Warner Bros. will announce The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past through a video featuring Peter Jackson and Colbert. Colbert, an outspoken Tolkien fanatic, explained that the plot of his film comes from a chapter of “The Lord of the Rings” that was not included in Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation. He developed the idea with his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, and eventually got the courage to pitch it to Jackson, who helped bring it to Warner Bros. For the past two years, he has worked with screenwriter Philippa Bowen to develop the script.
The film, which follows Andy Serkis’ 2027 film The Hunt for Gollum, is set 14 years after Frodo’s death. The logline reads, “Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure.” “Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter Elanor is determined to discover long-buried secrets and uncover why the War of the Ring was nearly defeated before it even began.”
The final episode of Colbert’s “The Late Show” will air on CBS on May 21. In July 2025, CBS canceled the 33-year long-running show, which Colbert hosted for 11 seasons.
