He'll put a spell on you! Lord Of The Rings fan Stephen Colbert plays Frodo, Legolas and Gandalf for Entertainment Weekly cover shoot as fantasy franchise bows out

Published: 07:53 EST, 11 December 2014 | Updated: 10:53 EST, 11 December 2014

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American TV personality Stephen Colbert was given the chance to fulfill a childhood dream this week by dressing up as three Lord Of The Rings characters as the franchise prepares to bow out.

The 50-year-old talk show host – a self-confessed fan of author JRR Tolkien – got an opportunity to dress up as three of the fantasy franchise’s more prominent characters for the cover of Entertainment Weekly.

In the first, Colbert plays a passable Frodo Baggins – the character played by Elijah Wood in the original film trilogy based on Tolkien’s books – while preparing to slip on ‘The Ring.'

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Cover star: American TV host and self-confessed Lord Of The Rings nut Stephen Colbert makes a passable Frodo Baggins in the first of three cover shots for Entertainment Weekly

A second finds him dressed as ace archer Legolas – a role made famous by British actor Orlando Bloom – complete with flowing white locks and arrow sheath.

In an impressive final shot he is almost unrecognisable beneath an enormous bushy beard and wide brimmed hat while giving Sir Ian McKellan a run for his money as wizard Gandalf – complete with knarled wooden staff.

In an accompanying piece, Colbert talks affectionately about his love for the fantasy book series and their screen adaptations.

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Sharp shooter: A second shot finds him dressed as ace archer Legolas - the character played by Orlando Bloom in both The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit film franchises

‘Tolkien’s work has been a lifelong haven for me—truly a light in dark places when all other lights went out,’ he writes.

‘For an awkward teenager, Middle-earth was a world I could escape top. Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth also gave me a world to escape to, but by the time his films came out, I was rich and famous and didn’t really want to escape my life anymore. Still, great movies.’

Cast-members from The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies were in attendance earlier this month as Jackson became the latest recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

I'll put a spell on you: In the third and final he is almost unrecognisable beneath his big bushy beard and wide brimmed hat as Gandalf the Grey

‘Welcome to Middle Earth. Otherwise known as Hollywood, California," said Los Angeles city councillor Mitch O'Farrell at the ceremony, attended by hundreds of screaming fans on Hollywood Boulevard.

"You really are one of the greatest filmmakers on the planet," Serkis told the 53-year-old New Zealand-born director in a short speech before he received his star.

Jackson won a Best Director Oscar and shared Best Adapted Screenplay in 2004 for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, after securing two Oscar nominations in 2002 for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The final part of Jackson’s Hobbit prequel trilogy, The Hobbit: Battle Of The Five Armies, will be released on December 17.

Peter Jackson receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame