Stephen Colbert was scorched by “Lord of the Rings” fans after it was announced he would pen the script for a new film in the epic fantasy franchise.
“Why in the everloving f–k would anyone want Colbert doing this?” one person tweeted following the news, adding that late creator J.R.R. Tolkien is “absolutely spinning in his grave.”
“Welp, that’s a guarantee that it’s going to be turbo woke dogs–t,” added another.
“Hollywood finally found the bottom of the barrel,” penned a third.
Yet another disappointed fan commented that Colbert’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” project was “almost sacrilege against Tolkien’s work,” noting that the late author “deliberately abandoned doing a sequel story because the story was told.”
“The hubris of this guy to think he [has] the right to do this,” they added of Colbert, while another person tweeted, “How about a LotR movie where the Fellowship reunites to stop this movie from being made.”
However, other fans of Tolkien’s books and director Peter Jackson’s hit film adaptations welcomed Colbert’s involvement.
“Colbert knows more Tolkien lore than most screenwriters, so this might actually work,” one supporter wrote on X.
“If they keep the tone and writing quality consistent, this could actually expand the lore in a meaningful way,” another fan agreed.
The former Comedy Central star has long been a “Lord of the Rings” superfan and is reportedly considered a Tolkien scholar.
Besides touting his deep knowledge of the original books and speaking the Elvish languages created by Tolkien during “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” Colbert also made a cameo in Jackson’s 2013 film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”
Colbert’s rep didn’t immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The fired “Late Show” host, 61, announced that he and his son Peter, 28, are penning a new installment in the “Lord of the Rings” film franchise during a surprise video announcement with Jackson on Tuesday night.
Colbert’s film, currently titled “The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past,” will reportedly adapt six early chapters from Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” that weren’t covered in Jackson’s 2001 film adaptation. The film — which will likely include Tom Bombadil, a major character who was omitted from the original trilogy — will be released sometime after next year’s “The Hunt for Gollum.”
The movie’s logline reads, “Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.”
“I’m pretty happy about it,” the former “Colbert Report” host said during his video with Jackson. “It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call. But about two years ago, I did.”
The controversial comedian added that his “Lord of the Rings” movie idea was pitched to New Line Cinema and Warner Bros., and the production companies supported the idea.
“But it turns out I’m gonna be free starting this summer. Isn’t that a eucatastrophe right there?” Colbert added before signing off. “I will see you all in the Shire.”
Colbert’s upcoming “Lord of the Rings” project marks his first significant project since being unceremoniously canned from the “Late Show” and CBS.
The network announced the surprising news in July 2025, and his final show is scheduled to air on May 21.
CBS claimed in a statement that the cancellation was a “purely financial decision” and insisted Colbert’s departure was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Colbert, who called Paramount Global’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump a “big fat bribe” just three days before the cancellation announcement, addressed his inevitable exit during his show.
“Yeah, I share your feelings. It isn’t just the end of our show but the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS,” he said in July 2025. “I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”
