Andy Serkis has defended the casting of the next Lord of the Rings film after the fantasy franchise faced criticism over its lack of diversity.
The 62-year-old actor, best known for playing Gollum in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will direct and star in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
The film, which is due to be released in 2027, stars Jamie Dornan, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall, with Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen returning as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf respectively.
The franchise has faced criticism over the years for its predominantly white casts, with some observers raising similar concerns about the new film.
Speaking to BBC News, Serkis said the filmmakers would not cast actors simply to meet diversity targets.
“Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology, there’s a lot of that feeling,” he said.
“Yes, there have been criticisms.
“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.”
Serkis also revealed more about the story, describing the film as “a deep dive” into Gollum’s past and the origins of the One Ring.
“It sits absolutely between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies and books,” he said.
“It is very much a deep dive into the psychology and history of Gollum before he became Gollum, but also with a very burning question from Gandalf about what the potential origin of this ring that Bilbo Baggins has is.
“The hunt takes place in two different dimensions really and that’s about as far as I can say at the moment.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to open in cinemas in December 2027. It will be followed by The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, which is being co-written by US talk show host Stephen Colbert.
Source: Press Association