Lord of the Rings fans were shocked when news broke that Stephen Colbert would be co-writing an upcoming film in the franchise, currently titled Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past. As it turns out, Colbert’s decision to make such an unexpected career pivot was inspired by SNL alum Bill Hader.
“I’ll tell you, the person who did the thing I most admire…I mean, not most admire, but the thing that really struck me is, you know what [Bill] Hader did when he left SNL? He went and wrote for South Park for a season,” Colbert revealed while speaking on the Smartless podcast on March 18 (per Variety.) “I said, ‘Man, that’s the perfect thing to do…’ Just go serve something that you love already. See, can I be of service to people whose work I really admire?” He continued, saying, “Don’t even worry about your status of your previous gig. Just go do something you love.”
Colbert initially believed he would never have the time to work on a script, but after CBS announced in 2025 that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end in 2026, he now has the time to pursue his passion. "I did not think I'd have the time," he joked while speaking to Peter Jackson during a Warner Bros special announcement on March 25. Alluding to the cancellation of The Late Show, he said, "It turns out I'm gonna be free starting this summer."
Fans had mixed reactions to the news that Colbert will be co-writing The Lord of The Rings: Shadow of The Past.
“Well that's a headline I never expected to read,” one commenter wrote on the /lotr subreddit.
“Nothing against Colbert… but wtf are we doing here?” said another.
Yet other fans expressed enthusiasm for the news, saying, “He's a talented creative who basically worships Tolkien. I'm actually keen to see how this plays out.”
