Peter Jackson Says Stephen Colbert Pitched His ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie Before CBS Canceled ‘The Late Show’ and They’ve Already Spent One Year Working on It

May 14, 2026 3:03am PT Peter Jackson Says Stephen Colbert Pitched His ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie Before CBS Canceled ‘The Late Show’ and They’ve Already Spent One Year Working on It

By Alex Ritman

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Alex Ritman

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Peter Jackson is discussing for the first time what it’s like working with Stephen Colbert on his recently-announced “Lord of the Rings,” saying he’s “never met anyone who knows more about Tolkien” than the late night talk show host.

“He phoned me up a year ago — before he knew his show was going to finish — and said, ‘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,'” Jackson told Variety at the Cannes Film Festival, where the director was honored with a Palme d’Or on opening night.

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