Image: Nerdist via Showtime

NEW YORK: Comedian Stephen Colbert has signed a deal to produce an animated series about US President Donald Trump, reprising a familiar tangerine-colored character from The Late Show for an initial run of 10 episodes on Showtime.

The series, set to debut in fall, will also star the president's "family, top associates, heads of government, golf pros and anyone else straying into his orbit," seen through the eyes of an imaginary documentary crew, the channel announced Thursday.

"I know a lot of people wanted to do this, and I'm honoured that the Cartoon President invited our documentary crew into his private world," Colbert said in a statement.

"I've seen some of the footage, and I look forward to sharing the man behind the MAGA," he added, referring to Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."

Colbert took over The Late Show on CBS in late 2015, but only hit top gear after Trump's election.

He beat his main late show rivals Jimmy Kimmel (ABC) and Jimmy Fallon (NBC) this season thanks to his brand of politically charged humour ? the first time CBS won the rating battle since 2010.

Colbert's two-dimensional Trump caricature appeared on a segment during his live coverage of the presidential election last year before becoming a recurring character on his show.

Colbert will team up with Chris Licht, his executive producer on The Late Show", for the as yet untitled project.