Stephen Colbert commemorates 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings with rap titled #1 Trilly

Stephen Colbert commemorated the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings’ theatrical release Wednesday with #1 Trilly, a special rap featuring Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, and other stars of the motion picture.

Also appearing the rap included cast alums Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis and Viggo Mortensen, as well as cameos from rappers Method Man and Killer Mike; and actress Anna Kendrick, who absorbed jabs about her films Pitch Perfect and Twilight.

As the film initially hit theaters on December 19, 2001, Colbert said he wouldn’t ‘be on the air next week to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which also happens to be the 20th anniversary of me not shutting up about The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.’

Colbert said that the film anthology – which also includes 2002’s The Two Towers and 2003’s The Return of the King – is his ‘favorite film series of all time,’ noting how it should get the same reverence as the Harry Potter series, which will have a reunion on HBO Max January 1.

‘Seriously? Harry Potter’s fine, but it’s no Lord of the Rings,’ said Colbert.

He continued: ‘If you ask me, there is no better film series. Lord of the Rings is without a doubt the greatest trilogy in movie history. I know I may have said that many times before, but I have never – not once – rapped it. Until now.’

In the musical number with his bandleader Jon Batiste, the video alternated between a luxe studio set and a retro video store hearkening decades back. 

Colbert said that the film anthology – which also includes 2002’s The Two Towers and 2003’s The Return of the King – is his ‘favorite film series of all time’

Colbert was joined in the musical number by his bandleader Jon Batiste

Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the anthology, is seen in the musical showcase

Colbert was joined by Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd in the number 

The chorus blared, ‘Lord of the Rings is the number one trilly/Ask anybody and they know the dilly.’

Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the films, chat with People in September about the legacy of the film series.

‘Those films had a massive impact on all of our lives,’ he said. ‘It was the experience we had making them tucked away in New Zealand for the better part of four years, making some of the best friends of our lives. I’m really proud to be a part of it.’

Colbert this past April hosted three cast reunions for the film in conjunction with Alamo Drafthouse.

The Lord of the Rings is slated to get a prequel series on Amazon Prime set to debut next September on Amazon Prime.

Rappers Method Man and Killer Mike lent their musical expertise in the segment 

Orlando Bloom donned a blue coat with cloudy patterns in the rap 

Colbert has been a noted fan of the trilogy since it came out two decades back 

Anna Kendrick absorbed jabs about her films Pitch Perfect and Twilight in the number 

Colbert declared the film the #1 Trilly in comparison to other film franchises