Tolkien’s Legacy Doesn’t Belong With A Late Night Comedian

Warner Bros. really ticked off Tolkien fans when they dropped a bombshell so outrageous that it had people double-checking to make sure it wasn’t a Babylon Bee headline.

Stephen Colbert. “Lord of the Rings.” A match made in the entertainment underworld.

The internet lost its collective mind when the studio announced that Colbert was attached as co-writer to a project no one asked for. The late-night host is currently wrapping up his 11-year run as the face of “The Late Show” and is bitter as hell on his way out, talking smack on President Trump and conservatives. His fifteen viewers will confirm that this is nothing new. But the rhetoric is even more vicious now that he’s got nothing to lose.

And now, somehow, Colbert’s study of and professed love for Tolkien scored him a place at the writer’s table for “Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.” Film director Peter Jackson dropped that bomb on fans last month.

“You know what the books mean to me, and what your films mean to me,” Colbert told Jackson during the video announcement, attempting to justify his place in Tolkien’s realm.

“But 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 the chapter ‘Three Is Company’ [Chapter III] through ‘Fog on the Barrow-Downs’ [Chapter VIII]. 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?’”

Colbert said that he and his son, screenwriter Peter McGee, have been working with Jackson on the project for two years.

The show’s description says, “Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.”

Fans were shocked by Colbert’s inclusion, with one reaction summing up the overall feelings nicely. “Just because someone knows everything about another writer’s work doesn’t make them a writer. Or director, or anything even remotely related to making a film,” one Reddit user wrote. “They’ve essentially given the reins over to a fanfiction guy; this will be hot garbage.”

The frustration is about Colbert, sure, but it’s also about trusting Hollywood to tread with care when handling a treasured, unapologetically Christian morality based project. Social media users joked about Colbert including DEI side quests and dancing syringes, which is technically possible from such a devoted progressive. However, even if the virtue signaling winds up being a little subtler, there’s still a lot of ways a late-night comedian can screw this up.

For too long in Hollywood there’s been a lack of quality storytelling with timeless themes and impressive production value. Fans who wanted to be immersed in the story keep getting stuck with liberals writing the scripts.

That all changed when DailyWire+ released “The Pendragon Cycle: The Rise of Merlin.”

This adaptation of Stephen R. Lawhead’s bestselling novels blends historical elements of post-Roman Britain with the mythic tales of King Arthur and Merlin. This isn’t a cynical franchise cash-grab; it’s a genuine effort to reclaim what’s been lost long ago to woke Hollywood.

Filmed in Italy and Hungary, the seven-episode first season premiered in January 2026. The reviews from fans prove that this is what the entertainment world has been missing.

One viewer described it as “just as fascinating as Game of Thrones,” It has been praised for the storyline, the characters, the incredible sets, the thrilling stunts, and, crucially, the natural role Christianity plays in the narrative. 

“Pulp Fiction” screenwriter Roger Avary said he was shocked by how much he loved the series.

The Academy Award-winning producer told Joe Rogan during a podcast appearance in February that he had a “chip on his shoulder” when he started watching “Pendragon” and expected not to like it. But he was impressed not just with the quality, but with how it didn’t come from a major studio.

“They did it on a microbudget, effectively. They made something that… kind of reinvents the mythology, and they do it like proper television, where you kind of love the characters, and they weave an entire reality and universe that is just fantastic. And it’s done for very, very little…”

Avary added, “They’re spending billions making these ‘Lord of the Rings’ things, and nobody cares, they’re just awful to watch. In the meantime, these guys, without anyone paying attention, cranked this out…I am completely blown away by it!”

Oscar-winning screenwriter @AVARY gives massive praise to ‘The Pendragon Cycle’ on @joerogan:

“They’re spending billions making these ‘Lord of the Rings’ things…and they’re just awful to watch…In the meantime, these guys…cranked this out…I am like completely blown away… pic.twitter.com/guviJGswqe

— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) February 11, 2026

The world of Pendragon goes beyond the screen. DailyWire+ also launched an official Pendragon Cycle board game to go with it.

This narrative-driven game of deduction drops players into the sacred isle of the Arthurian epic, where they race to uncover which character, location, and weapon holds the secret of the Grail. 

Each character comes with a unique special ability to ensure genuine immersion in the Pendragon world.

“The game is very entertaining. The theme of the show and mechanics of the game make you feel truly immersed in the world of the show,” one purchaser wrote.

It’s no longer necessary for historical fantasy fans to consume the slop that Hollywood keeps dishing. On one hand, there are mainstream remakes rehashing what’s been done to make a buck and subvert timeless Christian lore. On the other hand, there’s an epic, character-driven piece of art that deserves all the high praise it received.

If the Colbert announcement left you rolling your eyes, then it’s time to explore new realms and seek alternatives.

All seven episodes of “The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin” are streaming now on DailyWire+, and the immersive board game is available at the Daily Wire Shop.