James Corden: Will he take over as 'Late Late Show' host?
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Molly Driscoll Staff Writer
Actor James Corden may replace 鈥淟ate Late Show鈥� host Craig Ferguson when Ferguson departs at the end of 2014.
Unnamed sources told that Corden is officially set to replace Ferguson; according to the , unnamed sources told the outlet that 鈥渢he network is circling鈥� Corden. CBS has so far declined to comment, according to both TheWrap and the Hollywood Reporter, and Corden鈥檚 representatives have not yet commented, according to the .听
Corden won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 2012 for his work in the show 鈥淥ne Man, Two Guvnors鈥� and starred in the 2007 BBC comedy 鈥淕avin and Stacey,鈥� which he also co-created. He recently appeared in this summer鈥檚 musical movie 鈥淏egin Again,鈥� starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, and is set to star as the Baker in the big-screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical 鈥淚nto the Woods,鈥� which will be released this December.
He has hosted the UK鈥檚 BRIT Awards multiple times and, as noted by the BBC, hosted 鈥淛ames Corden鈥檚 World Cup Live鈥� in 2010, an ITV talk show on which guests such as Simon Cowell and Katy Perry appeared.听
鈥淟ate Late鈥� debuted in 1995 with host Tom Snyder, who was then succeeded by Craig Kilborn. Ferguson took over the show in 2005 and announced this past April that he would be departing the show. David Letterman, the host of the 鈥淟ate Show鈥� that airs before Ferguson鈥檚 program, had said earlier that month that he would be departing.
TheWrap writer Jeff Sneider was enthusiastic about the possibility of Corden taking the job, telling the BBC that if Corden was selected, it would make 鈥渁 lot of sense.鈥澛�
鈥淗e's got a really good personality, a comedy background, can write his own material, is a song and dance man and he's got a lot of heat right now with [the movie] 鈥業nto The Woods,鈥欌�� Sneider said, and noted in his own article that 鈥渨hile Corden might not be a household name in the U.S., he boasts a sizable social media presence with more than 4 million Twitter followers, which could bring a modern edge to the show.鈥�
Hollywood Reporter writer Philiana Ng agreed, writing that 鈥淭hough not well known in the U.S., Corden has a massive following in the U.K. and on social media... That edge could transition CBS' late-night block to the current landscape and become a viable competitor to NBC's heavily social media presence for Tonight Show and Late Night.鈥�
Meanwhile, there are already 鈥淲ho is James Corden?鈥� articles by , , and , among others.
