Stephen Colbert to Make Cameo in 'The Hobbit'

Stephen Colbert will make a cameo in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, a knowledgeable source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter.

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The host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report is a huge J.R.R. Tolkien and Lord of the Rings fan who reads Elvish. No word on which role he'll play in the franchise or whether it will be a key character or just part of the background.

Colbert's cameo will not come in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, according to the source. The first film in Jackson and Warner Bros.' trilogy hits theaters Dec. 14 with a cast that includes Martin Freeman, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Serkis.

The second film, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, arrives Dec. 13, 2013, while the third, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, will be released July 18, 2014.

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Colbert teases an appearance in the films in the November issue of Playboy, acknowledging his visit to the New Zealand shoot.

"Peter Jackson invited me to the set last year," he 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."

When asked if he was hired as an extra, Colbert smiled; and in response to the question, "Are you telling us you're in the Hobbit movie?" he responded, with another smile, "Could be."

Earlier this month, Colbert appeared on Oprah's Next Chapter to promote his latest book, America Again, revealing the origins of his faux-conservative television persona as a combination of Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera and CNN's Anderson Cooper.

"I like to say that he's well intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot," he joked about his Report character.