Stephen Colbert may be one of the most famous Tolkien enthusiasts in entertainment, but when legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg cornered him for plot details on his upcoming Lord of the Rings project, Colbert panicked and made up a dinosaur.
Stephen Colbert Concocted a “Time-Traveling Dinosaur” Plot to Protect His NDA
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the seven-time Emmy winner opened up about writing the next Lord of the Rings film alongside his son, Peter McGee, and longtime franchise screenwriter Philippa Boyens. Working deep within the secret machinery of Peter Jackson‘s production hub in New Zealand, Colbert explained that the intense non-disclosure agreements kept him on high alert, even when sitting face-to-face with Hollywood royalty.
Colbert recalled attending a recent lunch with Spielberg, who wasted zero time pressing him on the confidential fantasy screenplay.
“Spielberg says to me, ‘All right, tell me everything about the Lord of the Rings film. Tell me everything,'” Colbert recounted. “You sign all kinds of NDAs before you’re allowed anywhere near one of these sets, and he knows that. There are lawyers, and I’m new to all of this. So I was super nervous.”
Desperate to protect the project’s secrets without flatly refusing the iconic director, Colbert concocted an absurd plotline on the fly.
“I just said, ‘Okay, so here’s what happens. Frodo teams up with a time-traveling dinosaur,'” Colbert said.
Spielberg, however, immediately tried to pull rank: “He goes, ‘You can tell me. I’m Steven Spielberg. I know Peter Jackson.’ And I was terrified to. I was afraid I would get in trouble, so I didn’t tell him anything.”
While Colbert believed he had successfully defended the production’s confidentiality, his co-writer did not share his relief.
“Later I told our writing partner, Philippa Boyens, and she goes, ‘You idiot. He might have had a good idea. He’s Steven Spielberg,'” Colbert laughed.
The encounter left Colbert caught between the legal weight of studio confidentiality and the missed opportunity of workshopping ideas with cinema royalty. Though he protected Middle-earth’s newest secrets from leaking across the lunch table, the comedian admitted he remains more than open to hearing what notes Spielberg might have brought to the table if given the chance.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hits theatres on December 17, 2027.
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