{"id":27633,"date":"2026-03-25T16:34:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=27633"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:34:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T15:34:57","slug":"fans-react-as-colbert-leaves-late-show-to-write-lord-of-the-rings-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/fans-react-as-colbert-leaves-late-show-to-write-lord-of-the-rings-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Fans React as Colbert Leaves Late Show to Write \u2018Lord of the Rings\u2019 Film"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Stephen Colbert will co-write the next \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d movie after leaving CBS\u2019s <em>Late Show<\/em>, teaming up with Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. to adapt Tolkien\u2019s \u201cFog on the Barrow-Downs\u201d chapter. The announcement has sparked excitement among fans worldwide and mixed reactions across social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colbert, 61, has long been a devoted Tolkien enthusiast, often weaving references to Middle-earth into his comedy. His late-night program will end in May 2026 after CBS cited financial reasons for its cancellation. Almost immediately, Colbert revealed his new project: writing the next installment of the <em>Lord of the Rings<\/em> franchise alongside Jackson and his son, Peter McGee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone is convinced. Critics questioned whether a television host can transition smoothly into blockbuster screenwriting, warning that celebrity-driven projects sometimes overshadow storytelling. Others expressed concern about creative liberties, noting that Tolkien adaptations often spark debate among purists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Public response has been swift. Fans of the fantasy series welcomed the news, praising Colbert\u2019s deep knowledge of Tolkien\u2019s work and calling him a \u201cnatural fit\u201d for the franchise. Many highlighted his years of passionate commentary on Middle-earth lore as proof he could bring authenticity to the script.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others expressed skepticism, questioning whether a late-night host can successfully transition into blockbuster screenwriting. Some critics argued that Hollywood risks leaning too heavily on celebrity names rather than experienced screenwriters. A few longtime Tolkien readers voiced concern about creative liberties, noting that adaptations often spark debate over fidelity to the source material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Industry analysts see the move as part of Warner Bros.\u2019 broader effort to expand the <em>Lord of the Rings<\/em> universe, following recent projects like <em>The Hunt for Gollum<\/em>. Colbert\u2019s involvement is expected to draw significant attention, particularly from audiences who followed his late-night career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stephen Colbert will co-write the next \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d movie after leaving CBS\u2019s Late Show, teaming up with Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. to adapt Tolkien\u2019s \u201cFog on the Barrow-Downs\u201d chapter. The announcement has sparked excitement among fans worldwide and mixed reactions across social media. Colbert, 61, has long been a devoted Tolkien enthusiast, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":27636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2096,25,5,18,3],"tags":[8913,8910,8917,8911,8916,8909,8918,8915,8912],"class_list":["post-27633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economics","category-entertainment","category-international","category-lifestyle","category-naija-news","tag-colbert-and-peter-jackson-team-up-for-tolkien-adaptation","tag-colbert-leaves-late-show-2026","tag-colbert-screenwriting-debut","tag-colbert-tolkien-adaptation","tag-late-show-cancellation-colbert","tag-stephen-colbert-lord-of-the-rings","tag-stephen-colbert-writing-lord-of-the-rings-movie-after-late-show","tag-tolkien-fans-react-colbert","tag-warner-bros-tolkien-film"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-1241463508.webp?fit=1024%2C681&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27635,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27633\/revisions\/27635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}