Cast members have been rolling in for Andy Serkis’ “Lord of the Rings” spinoff, “The Hunt for Gollum.” Thus far, every actor tapped for this project has been white.
Serkis addressed this lack of diversity in an interview with BBC on Monday, stating that “there have been criticisms” across the entire “Lord of the Rings” universe — and that they’ll seemingly be addressed in the new movie.
“This particular film is somewhat acknowledging that,” he said. “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.”
“The Hunt for Gollum” marks Serkis’ first time behind the camera in the “Lord of the Rings” universe, helming a feature centered around the ring-obsessed Hobbit he’s played since the early 2000s. Serkis returns alongside actors like Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Lee Pace, joined this time by Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, Leo Woodall and Anya Taylor-Joy.
“Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology, there’s a lot of that feeling,” he said regarding the cast.
Serkis also added that The Shire (the home of the central Hobbits seen in the “Lord of the Rings” series) is a secluded community, one that historically “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,” he continued. “But they know they don’t want people coming in.”
The casting of actors of color in fantasy films has long been a recurring complaint from right-wing crowds. Recently, figures like Elon Musk have notably made repeated comments at the expense of non-white and transgender actors in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
It’s notable to see Serkis defend an all-white cast for his own fantasy endeavor in the wake of attacks against Nolan’s film. The BBC article notes that more casting announcements are on the horizon for “The Hunt For Gollum,” which will perhaps clarify Serkis’ comment about his film acknowledging the trend of white casts in “Lord of the Rings.”
