Both ‘The Colbert Report’ and ‘The Hobbit’ franchises will come to an end in the next few weeks, and given Stephen Colbert’s unabashed love for all things Tolkien, we’ve seen a great deal of cross-promotion. The latest might be the most impressive yet however, as Colbert interviews none other than the dragon Smaug himself, live on the set!

Voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, Smaug’s arrival on ‘The Colbert Report’ brings with it an unexpected degree of sophistication, casually conversing with the ultra-conservative host, every line perfectly animated inside the destroyed ‘Report’ set that accommodates the dragon. Sure, it’s all in the name of promoting ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (which might need the good will), though Colbert and his scaly second cover everything from ‘Sherlock‘ to Kelsey Grammer and Rand Paul.

It’s an impressive bit of techno-wizardry, and an especially fitting send-off for Colbert, who next week airs his final Comedy Central show, including guests from the likes of Seth Rogen and Kendrick Lamar. Colbert himself won’t surface again until sometime after May 20, 2015, when David Letterman hosts his final ‘Late Show,’ and vacates the desk for Colbert’s tenure.

In the meantime at least, check out Smaug’s interview on ‘The Colbert Report’ above, and tell us in the comments if you’ll check out ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,’ hitting theaters next week!

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