Entertainment
Stephen Colbert Compares His Career Pivot To SNL's Funniest Cast Member
By TeeJay Small
| Published
Stephen Colbert has already managed to have a generational television run over the course of the past several decades. Whether you were a fan of his satire on The Colbert Report, or his more straightforward material on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, it’s hard to ignore the impact that the 61-year-old has had thus far. Of course, The Late Show is slated to come to a close this May, leaving many to wonder exactly what Colbert and his crew will do next.
Now, thanks to a write-up in Variety, we can confirm that Stephen Colbert will continue working as a writer, but he’ll be taking a more serious dramatic pivot. The comedian’s next chapter will include a co-writing credit on a new Lord of the Rings film titled Shadow of the Past. While discussing this surprising change of pace on a recent episode of the Smartless podcast, Colbert compared his trajectory to that of Saturday Night Live‘s Bill Hader.
The Colbert/Hader Parallel
During the Smartless interview, which was recorded before the news of Shadow of the Past was made public, Colbert made attempts to dodge questions about his next big project. Rather than giving a direct answer, he explained “the person who did the thing I most admire — I mean, not most admire, but the thing that really struck me is, you know what Hader did when he left SNL? He went and wrote for South Park for a season.”
The late night host concluded that working on an established IP that you love, and one to which you hold a personal attachment, is a great way to get your own creative juices flowing, and jumpstart something fresh and new in your artistic career. It’s worth noting that Bill Hader has since gone on to create and star in HBO’s Barry, which has earned countless accolades and an overwhelmingly positive response from critics. Hader also back-doored a promising career as a director through the series, and has since secured a deal with MRC to helm a psychological horror movie titled They Know.
Colbert’s Transition To Middle Earth Makes Sense
Fans of Stephen Colbert will be quick to point out that the comedian is a hardcore Tolkien fan. Needless to say, he’s probably more than happy to hang up his mantle as a late night host in favor of taking a hands-on role in the future of the expansive Lord of the Rings franchise. For now, details regarding Shadow of the Past are scant, but Colbert has confirmed that the narrative will be adapted from cut content originally slated for The Fellowship of the Ring.
It’s unclear at this time if Colbert will be punching up the script with his trademark blend of witty one-liners, or if he’ll be playing things entirely straight, and harnessing his inner LOTR fanaticism to deliver something as powerful and moving as Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Either way, it could be the start of something completely unexpected. Nobody could have anticipated Bill Hader’s transformation on Barry, both as a serious performer and as a shockingly promising director. If that career change is any indication of what we’re getting with Colbert, it’s certainly worth following along.