“Lord of the Rings” director and Gollum actor Andy Serkis drew a firm line against critics demanding more diversity in the beloved franchise, arguing that his new film will reject “politically correct” casting.
Speaking with the BBC, the filmmaker defended the predominantly White cast in the highly anticipated film The Hunt for Gollum.
Serkis said original author J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe was widely inspired by Norse mythology and that diversity should be a focus “where relevant,” not simply to satisfy what he described as industry box-ticking.
“The Shire feels very, very much like a very, a very White, you know…” Serkis told the BBC, where they note he “trails off” before continuing.
“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,” he said.
Debate over Middle-earth’s diversity has simmered for years, as the original trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen, was also accused of being too White.
Some critics have argued the original trilogy used problematic racial coding, associating the heroes with Whiteness while the villains relied on dark-skinned tropes.
Serkis acknowledged the criticism of the decades-old franchise to the BBC but said they don’t plan on injecting more diversity into the films just to tick boxes.
“This particular film is somewhat acknowledging that. But we 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 only where relevant basically,” he said.
The actor, however, has spoken out in favour of diverse casts in Hollywood, noting that his time as one of the few White actors in the Black Panther film helped show him what it was like on set.
The BBC included that in 2018, he said the film gave him a new understanding of what it meant to be the minority on set. He told the Radio Times in 2018, “[Director] Ryan Coogler said to me and Martin, ‘Guys, I have to tell you this, but this is the first scene I’ve directed with two White actors in it.’ That’s an incredible perspective to find yourself in.”
The Lord of the Rings franchise expanded its diversity with Amazon’s spin-off The Rings of Power, which some viewers criticised as being too “woke.”
The show included some of the franchise’s first Black Elves and Dwarves, along with other characters portrayed by actors of colour.
Billionaire Elon Musk even weighed in on the show, posting on X in 2022, “Tolkien is turning in his grave.”
Only days after that post, several actors from the original franchise posed for a photo wearing T-shirts with different elf ears that featured different skin tones with the caption, “You Are All Welcome Here.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is expected to premiere in December 2027 and is set to take place between the prequel The Hobbit films and the first The Fellowship of the Ring film of the main trilogy.
This story originally appeared on Fox News and is republished here with permission.