Carlsen to appear on The Colbert Report, but not in Star Trek 2

On April 24th, Magnus Carlsen will appear on the popular satirical tv show The Colbert Report. This was revealed today by the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG), who also report that Carlsen was asked by the famous film director J.J. Abrams to perform a role in Star Trek 2.

VG, Norway's second largest print newspaper, has been following Magnus Carlsen closely ever since he emerged at the top of the chess Olympus. Today the tabloid reports several interesting facts related to the highest rated chess player – their headline goes 'Star director asked chessplayer Carlsen for role in Hollywood movie'.

As it turns out, this headline is about U.S. filmmaker Jeffrey Jacob "J.J." Abrams, who apparently asked Carlsen for a role in one of his new projects. Abrams is famous for directing movies such as Mission: Impossible III (2006) and Star Trek (2009) and is also the co-creator of the series Lost (2004–2010) and Fringe (2008–present). According to VG, the filmmaker was so fascinated by Carlsen that he wanted the Norwegian on the cast of his Star Trek 2.

It was after Carlsen's appearance in the prestigious 60 Minutes on American television screens that the request came. Abrams wanted Carlsen in his role as a future chess player in a scene in the movie which is expected in theaters in 2013. However, it didn't come about because Carlsen couldn't get a work permit for the United States on short enough notice. To VG, Carlsen said:

I was surprised by the inquiry; it was completely unexpected. It would have been a fun experience, so it's a shame that it did not happen.

The same VG article reports that Carlsen recently agreed to make an appearance in the American satirical talk show The Colbert Report, on April 24th. This show, which airs Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central, stars political humorist Stephen Colbert, a former correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Big celebrities like Barack Obama and Paul McCartney have previously been guests, but also Garry Kasparov.