Moviefone Editorial

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  • Stephen Colbert to Co-Write a ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie

    (Left) Host Stephen Colbert of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'. Photo: Mary Ellen Matthews/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn Elessar in director Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.' Photo: Warner Bros.
    (Left) Host Stephen Colbert of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’. Photo: Mary Ellen Matthews/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn Elessar in director Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

    Preview:

    • ‘The Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert will co-write a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie.
    • He’ll work with his son, Peter McGee, and Philippa Boyens.
    • The working title is ‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past’.

    While he’s a well-known Tolkien scholar and ‘Lord of the Rings’ superfan (who had a cameo in one of the ‘Hobbit’ movies), we still didn’t expect to see comedian and late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert actually writing a movie set in the world of Middle-earth.

    But with ‘The Late Show’ set to end in May (after Paramount/CBS decided to cancel it), Colbert now finds himself with the time to realize a long-held dream. He’ll work with his son, writer Peter McGee and ‘Rings’ movie veteran scribe Philippa Boyens on a new movie called ‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.’

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    Colbert and his son came up with the basic idea years ago, but Colbert hasn’t had the time (or, as he admits, the courage) to pitch the idea.

    Related Article: Kate Winslet Joins Cast of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’

    What’s the story of ‘The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the past’?

    (L to R) Sean Austin, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'. Photo: New Line Cinema.
    (L to R) Sean Austin, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’. Photo: New Line Cinema.

    Here’s Colbert talking about the movie:

    “The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day. It’s basically chapters ‘Three Is Company’ through ‘Fog on the Barrow-downs,’ and I thought, Oh wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?”

    He approached ‘Rings’ movie supremo Peter Jackson (and New Line/Warner Bros.) and so now Colbert has a new gig. See more at the video link on Instagram.

    What else is happening with ‘LOTR’ movies?

    Andy Serkis as Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'. Photo: New Line Cinema.
    Andy Serkis as Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’. Photo: New Line Cinema.

    Right now, the next ‘Rings’ movie to start production will be the Andy Serkis-directed ‘The Hunt for Gollum’, which has a December 17, 2027 release date on the books.

    Andy Serkis at a London Special Screening of 'The Batman.' Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Andy Serkis at a London Special Screening of ‘The Batman.’ Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    List of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Movies On Amazon

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  • CBS to end ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’

    'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' during Wednesday’s June 25, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ during Wednesday’s June 25, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Preview:

    • CBS is ending ‘The Late Show’ next year.
    • Host Stephen Colbert announced the shock news at a taping on Thursday.
    • The President has already hit social media with his delight.

    In a shocking announcement during a taping on the show on Thursday this week, ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s host announced that corporate overlords CBS had decided to end the show next year.

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    This was the statement on decision from Paramount co-CEO and CBS president and CEO George Cheeks, CBS Entertainment head Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf:

    “ ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire The Late Show franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

    Related Article: Late Night Hosts Including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and More to Return as Writers Seal Deal

    What could really be behind the cancellation?

    'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' during Monday’s July 14, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ during Monday’s July 14, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Though the CBS teams were at pains to stress the reasons for the move, the optics on the decision are not great for the company.

    Especially since Colbert has been vocal on the show about his thoughts regarding CBS’ settlement with President Trump in order to facilitate forward movement on its merger with David Ellison’s Skydance company.

    And while the financial fortunes of all the late night shows have suffered and traditional networks are tightening their belts in the age of streaming, it’s a particularly bad look at a time when companies have been under attack.

    Colbert has –– at least for now, assuming the show doesn’t end earlier than announced –– a chance to make his thoughts very clear in the wake of the cancellation decision.

    What were the reactions to the news?

    'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' and guest Sen. Adam Schiff during Thursday’s July 17, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ and guest Sen. Adam Schiff during Thursday’s July 17, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    President Trump naturally took to social media to offer his gleeful response to the cancellation of one of the people who have taken a stand against him:

    “I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”

    Kimmel for his part, had a funny, bittersweet post lambasting CBS for the decision, writing in an Instagram story:

    “Love you Stephen. F**k you and all your Sheldons CBS.”

    When will ‘The Late Show’ end?

    As of right now, the show is scheduled to come to an end in May 2026.

    What will be shown in its place? That’s anyone’s guess at this point, but given the increasingly troubled viewership figures for late night shows, we may well end up with repeats or other series.

    'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' during Thursday’s July 17, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ during Thursday’s July 17, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Movies and TV Shows Featuring Stephen Colbert:

    Buy Stephen Colbert Movies and TV on Amazon

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  • Late Night Hosts to Return After End of Writers’ Strike

    (Left) Jimmy Kimmel. Photo: ABC/Jeff Lipsky. (Center) 'Tonight Show' host Jimmy Fallon. Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC. (Right) Stephen Colbert from 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' Photo: CBS.com.
    (Left) Jimmy Kimmel. Photo: ABC/Jeff Lipsky. (Center) ‘Tonight Show’ host Jimmy Fallon. Photo: Todd Owyoung/NBC. (Right) Stephen Colbert from ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’ Photo: CBS.com.

    When the writers’ strike began in May, it meant that all the Late Night talk shows had to shut down, since they employ Writers Guild of America staff to write monologues, questions for guests and skits for the hosts to appear in.

    Plus, the hosts themselves are WGA members and would not cross picket lines to work.

    Yet with the Writers and the AMPTP, which represents the studios sealing a successful deal, the WGA officially ended the strike at midnight today (Wednesday 27th September). And that means that the hosts of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’, ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ and ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ will all be back on Monday.

    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is returning Sunday, and the hosts are wrapping up their podcast Strike Force Five. It takes a few days for their shows to ramp back up to production, book guests and other necessary work.

    What was Strike Force 5?

    'Late Night with Seth Meyers' host Seth Meyers.
    ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ host Seth Meyers. Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC.

    During the strike, Oliver, Kimmel, Fallon, Colbert and Meyers created a podcast called ‘Strike Force 5’ that they hosted, with proceeds from paid subscriptions going to the crews who needed support while the different shows were shut down.

    “Their mission complete, the founding members of Strike Force 5 will return to their network television shows this Monday 10/2 and one of them to premium cable on 10/1,” said the hosts in a statement.

    They followed up with a typically humorous summation of the whole situation:

    “Of course, in a greater sense, the Strike Force 5 will never end because Strike Force 5 is not a place, Strike Force 5 is not a people, Strike Force 5 is barely a podcast, nay Strike Force 5 is an idea. An idea five men could talk on top of each other for 12 episodes and maybe somebody would listen. As we say goodbye, we would like to thank all those somebodies, truly, you were the heroes. We were mostly the heroes, but you were in there, too. We want to thank the entire Strike Force 5 team, our wives, our special guests and apologize to Conan O’Brien, who agreed to do the pod, but Stephen forgot to send him any possible dates and the strike ended.”

    Related Article: Writers Guild Makes Tentative Deal with Studios to End Strike

    The Bill Maher issue

    Bill Maher and Andrew Yang on 'Real Time with Bill Maher.'
    (L to R) Bill Maher and Andrew Yang on ‘Real Time with Bill Maher.’ Photograph by Janet Van Ham/HBO.

    Some of their fellow talk show hosts, the daytime likes of Drew Barrymore and ‘The Talk’ team had planned to come back before the strike ended but curtailed that idea after public backlash and comments from Guild members.

    Bill Maher, host of HBO’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ is usually something of an opinionated instigator and not known for going with the flow.

    He announced via social media on September 13th that he was planning to bring his show back on September 22nd.

    Here’s Maher’s original statement:

    “‘Real Time’ is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns.”

    There was predictable backlash from those who knew he would be crossing strike lines to work on the show himself, and Maher later announced that he would be pressing pause on the plan to return.

    He will now be back on Friday this week.

    This was Maher’s announcement:

    “My writers and Real Time are back! See you Friday Night!”

    Steve Bannon and Bill Maher on 'Real Time with Bill Maher.'
    (L to R) Steve Bannon and Bill Maher on ‘Real Time with Bill Maher.’ Photograph by Janet Van Ham/HBO.

    Movies Affected by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike:

    Buy Jimmy Fallon Movies On Amazon

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  • Seth Rogen Developing a Comedy About United Nations Employees For CBS

    Seth Rogen Developing a Comedy About United Nations Employees For CBS

    Showtime

    We’ve had workplace comedies set at offices, bars, TV show, and even police squad rooms. How about unhappy UN employees?

    Seth Rogen and Lionsgate TV are developing “UNprofessionals,” a single-camera comedy series about unappreciated workers at the United Nations.

    That’s a backdrop more often used for thrillers like Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” and the 2005 drama “The Interpreter.” Can we expect Hitchcock send-ups along the lines of Mel Brooks’ “High Anxiety“?

    Andy Schwartz  of “Scrubs,” along with brothers Randy and Jason Sklar, will write and Jay Chandrasekhar (“Arrested Development,” “New Girl”) will direct.

    The Sklar brothers, who act as well as write, hosted “Cheap Seats” from 2004-2006 on ESPN Classic. Their more memorable guest star turns include conjoined twins on “Grey’s Anatomy” and the owners of a music shop on “Better Call Saul.”

    Rogen’s TV producing credits include “Preacher,” “Black Monday,” and Amazon’s “The Boys.”

    [Via The Wrap]

  • James Corden Set to Host ‘The Late Late Show’ Through 2022

    James Corden Set to Host ‘The Late Late Show’ Through 2022

    CBS

    CBS doesn’t need to find a new host for “The Late Late Show” anytime soon.

    James Corden is officially planning to stick with his late-night gig through 2022. He has wrapped up advanced negotiations that began in May by signing a new deal with CBS, Variety reports. The multi-hyphenate had been nearing the end of his original contract, as it was due to end following the 2019-2020 TV season.

    With Corden as host, “The Late Late Show” has seen plenty of success. It has been nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Talk Series four years in a row and earned two Creative Arts Emmy Awards. It also won in the Best Talk Show category at the 2016 Critics’ Choice Television Awards.

    The show’s popularity has led to Corden being in high demand. He’s had voice roles in films like “Trolls,” “Peter Rabbit,” and “Smallfoot” as well as appeared in “Ocean’s 8,” the upcoming “Cats,” and more. We suspect he’ll continue to be busy, so it’s good that CBS has locked him down now.

    Corden is currently hosting his fifth season of “The Late Late Show.” It airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m. ET/PT on CBS.

    [via: Variety]

  • CBS and Viacom Just Merged in Latest Hollywood Megadeal

    CBS and Viacom Just Merged in Latest Hollywood Megadeal

    Thirteen years after they were split into two companies, CBS and Viacom are back together again.

    Shari Redstone, vice chair of both companies, will serve as chair of the combined entity, which will be called ViacomCBS Inc.

    The new company will have a library of 3,600 film titles and 140,000 TV episodes. It will also have a a 22 percent share of the U.S. television audience, larger than Comcast, Disney, Fox Corporation, Discovery or WarnerMedia, according to THR.

    “I am really excited to see these two great companies come together so that they can realize the incredible power of their combined assets. My father [Sumner Redstone] once said ‘content is king,’ and never has that been more true than today,” said Shari Redstone.

    The transaction is expected to close at the end of 2019, pending regulatory and shareholder approvals.

    Viacom assets include Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and BET, with CBS bringing Showtime and streaming service CBS All Access to the table.

    CBS Films, which just brought us “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” is being folded into CBS Entertainment Group as the company’s priorities shift to streaming.

    The CBS-Viacom deal agreement comes after Walt Disney’s $71.3 billion buyout of 21st Century Fox and AT&T’s $85 billion takeover of Time Warner. CBS has also reportedly offered Lionsgate $5 billion for its premium cable channel Starz.

    Earlier this year, Viacom acquired Pluto TV to enhance its streaming business.

    [Via THR]

  • Henry Ian Cusick Joins ‘MacGyver’ As Series Regular For Season 4

    Henry Ian Cusick Joins ‘MacGyver’ As Series Regular For Season 4

    Fox

    Henry Ian Cusick, who’ll always be time-traveling Desmond Hume from “Lost” to us, is joining star Lucas Till as a series regular on “MacGyver.”

    Per CBS’ character description, Russ is a handsome, quick-witted, Oxford-educated ex-Military man. A master manipulator and salesman and skilled in propaganda and lie detection with an extremely high emotional intelligence, he’s also a very wealthy man. He’s used to getting his way and not beyond enjoying the spoils of war: expensive suits, fast cars, private jets, house in Monte Carlo.

    Also new for Season 4: Levy Tran has been promoted from recurring to series regular after the exit of former co-lead George Eads.

    And there are some behind-the-scenes changes as well:  For the fourth season Terry Matalas recently replaced Craig O’Neill as co-showrunner alongside Peter Lenkov. Other executive producers include James Wan, Henry Winkler and Lee Zlotoff.

    Since “Lost,” Cusick’s costarred on “The 100,” “The Passage,” “Inhumans” and “Scandal.”

    [Via The Wrap]

  • CBS Renews Summer Drama ‘Blood & Treasure’ for Season 2

    CBS Renews Summer Drama ‘Blood & Treasure’ for Season 2

    CBS

    The adventure on “Blood & Treasure” will continue next summer.

    CBS has renewed the drama for a second season following steady, though unspectacular ratings.

    Through the five episodes that have aired in Season 1, “Blood & Treasure” is averaging 5.71 million viewers (including delayed viewing) and a 0.7 rating among adults. That makes it the No. 1 new broadcast network scripted show this summer.

    The show follows Danny McNamara (Matt Barr), a former FBI agent specializing in stolen arts and antiquities. He teams up with art thief Lexi Vaziri (Sofia Pernas) to catch a terrorist who funds his activities via stolen treasure. Along the way, they unexpectedly find themselves at the center of a 2,000-year-old battle for the cradle of civilization.

    “‘Blood & Treasure’ is a fun, escapist adventure with comedic elements filmed in multiple locales around the world that has been a great performer and a wonderful addition to our summer schedule,” said Amy Reisenbach, CBS executive vp current programs, in a statement. “We’ve heard the story pitch for season two and look forward to seeing all-new exploits from Russia to Southeast Asia next year.”

  • David E. Kelley Developing ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ Series for CBS

    David E. Kelley Developing ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ Series for CBS

    Lionsgate

    David E. Kelley, who gave us “The Practice,” “Ally McBeal” and “Boston Legal,” is prepping another legal drama for TV.

    He’s developing “The Lincoln Lawyer” for CBS, based on the  bestselling novels by Michael Connelly. Matthew McConaughey starred in the 2011 film of the same name as Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller, who runs his practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car.

    No word  yet who’ll be playing the maverick criminal defense attorney in this new series.

    Last year, Kelley picked up his 11th Emmy for HBO hit “Big Little Lies. ” His collaborations with CBS include “Picket Fences,” which ran for from 1992-1996, as well as the medical drama “Chicago Hope.”

    Amazon’s “Bosch,” which is currently in its fifth season, is also based on Connelly’s novels. ”

    “Castle” fans will remember him as one of Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion)’s card-playing mystery novelist friends on the ABC series. And Clint Eastwood directed an adaptation of his novel “Blood Work” in 2002.

    [Via Variety]

  • CBS to Airing ‘The Good Fight’ Season 1 This Summer

    CBS to Airing ‘The Good Fight’ Season 1 This Summer

    CBS All Access

    “The Good Fight” is punching its way up into a new weight class. CBS will the first season of the CBS-All Access legal drama this summer.

    CBS Corp. acting president and CEO Joseph Ianniello told shareholders Wednesday that the move would help promote awareness of the show and the subscription streaming platform.

    “The Good Fight” is a spinoff of “The Good Wife,” which ran on CBS from 2009 to 2016. “The Good Fight” was the first original drama to debut on CBS-All Access and has received critical acclaim.

    The series stars Christine Baranski, Cush Jumbo, and Sarah Steele, reprising their roles from the flagship, as well as “Game of Thrones” alum Rose Leslie, Delroy Lindo, and Audra McDonald. Season 3 recently concluded on May 15.

    The first season will premiere on CBS at 9 p.m. June 16 with two episodes. Two more will air on June 23. Starting June 30, the show will air at 10 p.m.

    Airing on CBS will give the drama much more visibility. CBS All-Access and Showtime’s on-demand platform have 8 million viewers, though it’s unknown how many individual subscribers each has. Meanwhile, mothership CBS reaches 100 million homes.

    “For three seasons, The Good Fight has been a big success for CBS All Access,” said CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl. “We’re excited to provide our network audience the opportunity to catch up with characters they first fell in love with on The Good Wife, as well as introduce new viewers to this outstanding, critically acclaimed drama.