Stephen Colbert with two of the Emmys 'The Late Show' won this year. Amy Sussman/Getty Images Stephen Colbert is providing a quick update on the Lord of the Rings movie he’s co-writing.
The former Late Show host and his team won the variety series category at the 2026 Emmy Awards just months after the series finale. Speaking to journalists backstage, Colbert was asked what he’s planning to do next aside from writing, which he quickly insisted that’s kept him pretty busy.
“That’s what I’m doing,” Colbert told a room of journalists of how busy he’s kept writing. “That takes a lot of time, man. You ever written a Lord of the Rings movie? It’s a full-time job.
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Colbert has been tasked with writing the new film alongside Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee. It’s slated to be the second of two upcoming films in the iconic film franchise. The host’s post-Late Show gig was announced in March.
“Literally, I woke up in New Zealand yesterday. I flew here for the Emmys,” Colbert said backstage. “Yesterday, [when I was in] New Zealand [it was] was tomorrow there. I went from yesterday to tomorrow, so I don’t know how many days today has been. What did I say in my speech? I was hallucinating up there.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert won several awards across the Creative Arts Emmys, held on Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, and Monday’s Primetime Emmy ceremony. In addition to the variety show win, it took home the statue for picture editing for a variety programming segment, lighting design/lighting direction, technical direction and camerawork, directing for a variety series and writing for a variety series.
The 2026 Emmy Awards took place Monday, Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay hosted the ceremony, which had a star-studded cast of characters from some of TV’s biggest shows including The Pitt, Pluribus, Widow’s Bay, Beef and more.
Head here for the full list of 2026 Emmy winners.
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