Stephen Colbert’s next act after The Late Show

Stephen Colbert’s – As Stephen Colbert prepares for his final “Late Show” broadcast on Thursday, one future project is already set: co-writing a new “Lord of the Rings” movie for Warner Bros. with his son, Peter McGee. Beyond that, he has signaled a desire to keep making televisi

Thursday night has the feel of a door closing. Stephen Colbert’s final “Late Show” broadcast will cap a CBS late-night run in the storied chair once held by David Letterman — and after that, the question becomes immediate for one of television’s most recognizable entertainers: what comes next?

In the months leading up to his farewell, Colbert has offered pieces of what he’s looking toward. He’s announced at least one major project. left the door open to returning to TV in some form. and pushed back on a far-fetched idea fans keep floating his way. But he’s also made clear that planning has been difficult, because hosting has eaten up the schedule.

In April, Colbert told The New York Times that hosting the CBS late-night show “takes all my time.” The result is a future that is visible in fragments — and, for now, anchored by one confirmed destination: Middle-earth.

Colbert has confirmed that he is co-writing a new “Lord of the Rings” movie for Warner Bros. alongside his son, Peter McGee. The project was announced in March alongside Peter Jackson — the director of the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” trilogies — with the promise that the movie would draw from “the six chapters early on in ‘The Fellowship’” that Jackson did not adapt in the original trilogy.

That Tolkien timeline matters. especially because it points to how Colbert’s post-“Late Show” path took shape before the CBS decision to end “The Late Show.” In the March announcement. Colbert said he first approached Jackson about the idea two years earlier. Jackson later confirmed that detail during a recent interview with Variety at the Cannes Film Festival. saying Colbert had called him “before he knew his show was going to finish” to discuss “an idea for a Tolkien movie based on the books.”.

The television part of the question is less settled, but not absent. Colbert has suggested that he wants to keep making television. even as he hesitates to pin down what it would look like. In early May. he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I could see creating a show. ” adding. “But I don’t know what form it would take. I’m still doing this show.”.

That sentiment aligns with what he said in a November interview with GQ: he hasn’t fantasized about stepping away from show business. “No,” he said. “Because I love creating things and I still want to work with the people I work with.” He added: “I just love making things.”

Colbert has also acknowledged that new work has reached him. But he has not been ready to seriously weigh it while “The Late Show” is still running. In comments to The Times last month. he said. “People have called to say. ‘Do you want to do X. Y or Z?’ And I would say. like: ‘Hey. that’s great. I don’t think I could give you a good answer until I can really think about it. ’” describing how he’s held off on committing while finishing the job he’s closing.

He hasn’t announced plans to appear on other late-night comedy shows either. Still, a sit-down elsewhere wouldn’t be surprising given how close he remains with several peers. Colbert. Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Fallon. Seth Meyers and John Oliver teamed up in 2023 for the limited-series podcast “Strike Force Five. ” and several of them have publicly criticized CBS’ decision to end Colbert’s show. The group has also recently reunited on “The Late Show.” Even so. neither Kimmel nor Fallon is scheduled to host their respective shows on Thursday. when Colbert closes out “The Late Show.”.

If there’s one expectation Colbert has tried to shut down. it’s the idea that he’ll hit the road for stand-up like a touring club comic. In the same early May discussion with The Hollywood Reporter. he said. “It doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t do a live show at some point. but it’s not like I’m going to go out tomorrow and do a tight 10 at Zanies. ” then pointed out that wasn’t how his career was built. “That hasn’t been my life, and it would be a big thing for me to do now.”.

He tied the instinct to his own creative roots as well. His comedy beginnings are largely in improvisational theater, he told THR, and it’s “collaborative in its nature,” adding that “all the shows that I’ve done have been collaborative.”

For fans hoping to see a different kind of public life from Colbert. he’s been equally firm — but from a different direction. Public office has followed him for years. fueled by his sharp criticism of modern politics and his highly publicized. satirical 2008 bid for the Oval Office while hosting Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”.

During an early-May conversation with Barack Obama. Colbert said. “a lot of people tell me I should run for president. ” later calling the idea “stupid.” When he asked Obama how “dumb” the suggestion was. Obama replied. “Well. you know. the bar has changed.” Colbert conceded through laughter. “That is true.”.

He’s dismissed the idea more directly elsewhere too. In an interview with Slate’s “Political Gabfest” last year, he said, “Absolutely not. Yeah, absolutely, I should not run for president.”

So for now, the clearest picture is not a single grand announcement for the day after. It’s a combination of momentum and restraint: a Tolkien project already in motion. an interest in continuing to make television without locking into a specific shape. offers coming in but not being evaluated until “The Late Show” is done. and a clear refusal to pivot toward a presidential run.

Before any next act hardens into a plan, Colbert is headed into something far more immediate. Earlier this week, his youngest son, John, graduated from Yale University. And after Thursday’s broadcast. Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter. his entire family is headed to Washington. DC. for his brother Tommy’s wedding.

The final note in all of it comes with the quiet uncertainty that often surrounds transitions in entertainment. especially when the work has been taking over everything. Colbert’s longtime manager, James Dixon, did not respond to a request for comment. But for the moment. at least. Colbert seems to know what matters most: finishing what he started — then stepping into a personal celebration before whatever comes next begins to take shape.

Stephen Colbert The Late Show CBS Lord of the Rings Warner Bros. Peter McGee Peter Jackson Strike Force Five Washington DC wedding Yale graduation Political Gabfest