Andy Serkis has responded to criticism over the casting of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, telling the BBC that the film will address diversity “only where relevant” rather than casting to tick boxes.
Serkis, who is directing the film and returning to play Gollum, spoke to British press this week while promoting the U.K. theatrical release of his animated adaptation of Animal Farm. The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled for release in December 2027, with Peter Jackson producing.
What Serkis said about the Hunt for Gollum cast
The current cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Leo Woodall, a lineup that is so far entirely white. More announcements are expected in the coming months. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen will reprise their roles as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, and Serkis has confirmed that a new actor will play Aragorn.
Asked about the lack of diversity, Serkis pointed to the source material. “Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology,” he said, describing the Shire as a very white, insular place whose residents do not want outsiders coming in. He acknowledged the complaints directly. “Yes, there have been criticisms. This particular film is somewhat acknowledging that,” he said, adding that the production would not deliver a “politically correct” version that casts for the sake of ticking boxes.
The BBC noted that Serkis has advocated for equality across his career. In 2018, while working on Black Panther, he said that being one of the few white actors on set gave him a clearer sense of what it feels like to be a minority in the industry.
Serkis is not directing the Colbert film
Serkis also confirmed that he is not directing Shadow of the Past, the separate Lord of the Rings film written by talk show host Stephen Colbert. “I think that that post has been taken, put it that way,” he said, adding that Colbert is very excited about the project.
On his own film, Serkis said the story sits between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, exploring Gollum’s psychology and history alongside Gandalf’s questions about the origin of the ring that Bilbo Baggins carries. He said the hunt plays out across two different dimensions, but would not reveal more.
Serkis first brought Gollum to the screen through motion capture in Jackson’s original trilogy and returned to the character in The Hobbit films, making the role one of the most recognizable of his career. Directing The Hunt for Gollum now places him behind the camera on the same world that helped define it. Further casting news is expected over the coming months.