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Spike Jonze Makes Inspiring Short Film Out of Colbert Opening

Ever wondered what a gritty and deeply emotional, silent movie starring Stephen Colbert would look like? Spike Jonze has. And his vision includes Grover from Sesame Street.

Jonze, the legendary director behind some of the best movies of the last 20 years—including Her, Adaptation, and Being John Malkovich—appeared on Colbert earlier this week, but “had an idea about how to start the show in a different way.”

The result of Jonze’s idea, which you can check out in the above video, is essentially a two-and-a-half-minute short film that follows Colbert as he goes from a vagabond sleeping out in the park to becoming the host of one of the most popular variety shows of all time. It’s all done without a single word being spoken.

Perhaps the best part (read: definitely the best part), is when Colbert finds himself at his lowest point, a laughing stock curled up on the sidewalk, when a little blue muppet hand reaches out to give him grace. A little blue muppet hand that belongs to none other than Grover, who in his original form, first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. And The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tapes in… the Ed Sullivan theater! Symbolism!

Regarding Jonze’s actual interview with Colbert, it mostly centered around his co-presidency of a new cable television network dubbed Viceland. If that sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a channel brand by Vice Media, which is responsible for HBO’s Vice, as well as Vice magazine, and numerous other Vice-related mediums. According to Jonze, Viceland differs from Vice in that “what we’re doing is more subjective… we want it to feel like a channel made by people about things we’re interested in. A TV channel that feels personal.”

If you want to check out Viceland, you can watch free episodes (which include awesome talents like Ellen Page, Eddie Huang, and Action Bronson), here. There is no word yet on whether or not Grover will be getting his own show, but just like vagabond Stephen Colbert, we should never lose hope…

What do you think about Jonze’s take on Colbert’s Late Show introduction? Did you catch any more symbolism in the short? Let us know in the comments section below!

Images: CBS // The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

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