Andy Serkiswho will be the lead in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’, was recently asked about the ongoing debate surrounding the film. While fans are excited about the new addition to the franchise, many point out that all of the confirmed cast members are white people. Speaking about the issue in one of his most recent appearances, Serkis defended his choice, saying the film “kind of acknowledges” the lack of diversity in the original work.
Andy Serkis defends casting choices for ‘The Hunt for Gollum’
While speaking to the BBC, Serkis opened up about his casting choices for the new ‘The Lord of the Rings’, and defended his choice to hire an all-white cast. The actor credited the original writer of the book series and commented, “Tolkien himself was heavily influenced by Norse mythology; there was a lot of feeling. The Shire feels very, like a very white one, you know… They’re not worried about what happens beyond the borders of The Shire, but they know they don’t want people to come in.“
Originally ‘Lord of Rings: cast expressed their issues with the recent casting
He further acknowledged that while he is aware of the ongoing debate and online backlash, he does not want to be complacent. He added, “Yes, there are criticisms. This particular film is kind of recognizing that. But I don’t think we’re doing a politically correct just-casting-for-the-sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version of the film. So, it’s where relevant basically.”Elijah WoodBilly Boyd and Dominic Monaghan, who are best known for playing the Hobbit trio in the first three films of the franchise, also shared their thoughts on the matter online. The three took to their social media accounts photos of them wearing white T-shirts with Middle-earth creatures of different skin colors.They also posted a statement on their post online that read, “Tolkien created a world that was, by definition, multi-cultural. A world where free people come from, different races and cultures come together, in solidarity, to defeat the forces of evil. ‘Rings of Power’ shows that. Our world is not yet white, fantasy is not yet white, Middle-earth is not white.”
Who starred in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’
The cast that has been announced and confirmed so far includes names like Jamie Dornan, Anna Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Lee Pace, Leo Woodall, Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen. More cast members for various characters have yet to be announced.The Lord of the Rings. The Hunt for Gollum ‘narrates the 17-year gap in time between Bilbo’s birthday and Frodo officially leaving the Shire. The plot follows as Aragorn and Gandalf travel to find Gollum before he falls into Sauron’s hands, and the location of the One Ring is revealed to the fallen spirit of the angel, the main antagonist of the story.