Andy Serkis said in a recent interview with the BBC that his new “Lord of the Rings” movie, “The Hunt for Gollum,” will “somewhat acknowledge” the franchise’s lack of diversity. The film, which is now in production, has announced a cast so far that is made up entirely of white actors: Jamie Dornan, Anna Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Lee Pace, Leo Woodall, Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen, plus Serkis’ return in the title role. The BBC asked Serkis why this is the case.
“Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology, there’s a lot of that feeling,” Serkis explained about the lack of the diversity. “The Shire feels very, very much like a very, a very white, you know… They’re not very concerned about what goes on beyond the borders of The Shire, but they know they don’t want people coming in.”
“Yes, there have been criticisms,” Serkis added. “This particular film is somewhat acknowledging that. But I don’t think we will be doing a politically correct just-casting-for-the sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version of the film. So, it’s where relevant basically.”
Additional cast members for “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” have yet to be announced. The Prime Video series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” previously faced backlash from racist Tolkien fans for its diverse casting. The outrage became so loud that Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” cast members Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan banded together on social media to support the show’s inclusive casting. The trio wore shirts that featured the ears of Middle-earth creatures in various skin tones.
The “Rings of Power” actors then released a joint statement condemning “the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis.”
“Tolkien created a world which, by definition, is multi-cultural,” read the statement. “A world in which free peoples from, different races and cultures join together, in fellowship, to defeat the forces of evil. ‘Rings of Power’ reflects that. Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white.”
“The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” opens in theaters Dec. 17, 2027.
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From Variety US