Stephen Colbert To Make A Cameo Appearance In 'The Hobbit' Trilogy

In a recent interview with Playboy, the comedian and satirist described a visit to the set of “The Hobbit” in New Zealand.

“Peter Jackson invited me to the set last year,” Colbert said. “I flew out and watched them shoot some scenes and went to some locations. I saw a 25-minute cut, and it was amazing. Jackson knows I’m a big fan of the films.”

The interviewer then asked Colbert if he had flown all the way out to simply visit the set or if the “Colbert Report” host had actually filmed a scene for the movie.

According to the transcript, Colbert simply smiled and said “Could be.”

However, the actor refused to make any official statement about a cameo.

After the Playboy interview began building buzz online, however, sources at the Hollywood Reporter were able to confirm that Colbert did in fact film at least one scene for the upcoming “Hobbit” trilogy.

While there is no word yet on exactly what part Colbert will play or how large the role will be, one piece of information is certain. Colbert will not be appearing in 2012’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” According to the source, Colbert’s cameo will be in either 2013’s “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” or 2014’s “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”

Colbert has been a longtime fan of J.R.R. Tolkein’s work, reportedly going as far as learning the fictional language of Elvish in order to more fully appreciate the subtle details in “Lord of the Rings.”

In the interview with Playboy, Colbert described himself as “obsessed” with the books, going as far as saying that “Lord of the Rings” character Aragorn was his hero as a child.

“Aragorn is the model of manhood,” Colbert said. “He’s the Apollonian ideal. He’s a warrior, a scholar, a poet, a healer. He’s all things you can aspire to be. As a kid I thought I wanted to be like that.”

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” premieres on Dec. 14.