Is that REALLY Gollum? Stephen Colbert breaks down major Turkish court case!
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson once said of Stephen Colbert: “I have never met a bigger Tolkien geek in my life.” Now, Colbert is putting that geekdom to good use to cover a controversial court case out of Turkey.
In the court case, Bilgin Ciftci is facing prison time for insulting Turkish President Erdogan by comparing his photos to images of Gollum from The Lord of the Rings movies. Yes, insulting a government official is a punishable crime in Turkey, which is horrific in itself. But Stephen Colbert is dropping a truth bomb of Tolkien knowledge that the court needs to take into account, all with the help of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Realistically, the claims from Stephen Colbert and even Peter Jackson likely won’t mean much to the Turkish courts, but this is the legitimate counter-argument that Ciftci’s defense is using in the case. After all, Smeagol has a heart of gold and he’s the one pictured.
Do you think Stephen makes a good case, comedy and all?