"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.MORE HOLLYWOOD HYPOCRISY: VARIETY DEMONIZES CRITICS OF CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S CASTING IN 'THE ODYSSEY'Andy Serkis spoke during the "There and Back Again: A Lord of the Rings Cast Reunion" panel at the C2E2 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo on April 11, 2025, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.
(Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)"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.CHRISTOPHER NOLAN CALLS CRITICISM OF 'THE ODYSSEY' CASTING DECISIONS 'IRRELEVANT'"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,...