Peter Jackson is framing this as a creative triumph — Stephen Colbert reached out a year ago with a genuine Tolkien passion project, long before The Late Show's cancellation was even on the table. The collaboration with Philippa Boyens proves this isn't some celebrity vanity play; Colbert earned his seat at the Tolkien development table through serious dedication.
Sources close to the situation say Colbert was blindsided by CBS's decision to end The Late Show, and having a major film project waiting in the wings provided crucial stability during an otherwise turbulent time. One insider noted that transitioning from late-night host to scriptwriter 'helped him process something rather shocking.' Translation: Tolkien became his emotional lifeline after getting axed.
Colbert pitched Jackson ONE YEAR AGO — before he knew his show was ending — saying, 'I don't know if you're interesting, but I've got an idea for a Tolkien movie based on the books that I think would be really good.' CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; the final episode airs May 21. At Cannes Film Festival, Jackson revealed they worked with Philippa Boyens and even traveled to New Zealand.
Peter Jackson's got a new LOTR project in development — but let's not pretend this is purely about artistic vision. Stephen Colbert lost his show and suddenly found himself a Tolkien scriptwriter overnight. That's quite the pivot from getting fired to Middle-earth.
Peter Jackson just dropped some major behind-the-scenes drama at Cannes Film Festival, where he was honored with the Palme d'Or on opening night, and it involves none other than Stephen Colbert — but not in the way you'd expect. The Lord of the Rings director revealed that Colbert called him up a full year ago, before CBS pulled the plug on The Late Show, pitching what Jackson described as "an idea for a Tolkien movie based on the books that I think would be really good." That's right — Colbert was already deep into Middle-earth development while still technically employed at CBS.
"I don't know if you're interesting, but I've got an idea," Colbert reportedly told Jackson. Well, he certainly found someone interesting. Jackson liked the pitch enough to connect Colbert with his longtime collaborator Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
They've been grinding on a treatment together for a full year now, with Colbert even traveling to New Zealand to be closer to the creative team. In the middle of this writing process — right in the thick of their collaboration — CBS announced they were canceling The Late Show entirely. Jackson didn't hold back when discussing Colbert's firing, saying it "wasn't what the show or Stephen deserved." But here's where things get interesting: having a major Tolkien project to pour himself into after getting axed was apparently exactly what Colbert needed.
"I think Steven's actually really happy — I think it helped him process something that was rather shocking," Jackson said. "So it was like, okay, one day he's going to be a late night talk show host, and the next day he's going to be a Tolkien scriptwriter." First announced via video in late March, Colbert's new Lord of the Rings installment will follow Andy Serkis' The Hunt for Gollum and currently carries the working title "The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past." The official logline reveals the story takes place fourteen years after Frodo's passing, with Sam, Merry, and Pippin retracing their original adventure while Sam's daughter Elanor uncovers a long-buried secret about why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it even began.
Written by Colbert, his son Peter McGee, and Boyens, this marks Colbert's first foray into blockbuster development — though it's not his first rodeo with Jackson. He had a small role in 2013's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and previously directed Jackson alongside Lord of the Rings stars Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, and Elijah Wood in the 2019 short film "Darrylgorn."
