Andy Serkis is teasing more details about his upcoming expansion of the Lord of the Rings cinematic universe.
The famed British actor, known for roles in Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes and more recently, Andor, is directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which boasts Peter Jackson as a producer as well as a star-studded cast that includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Leo Woodall. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen will be reprising their beloved roles as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, respectively, from Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy.
Serkis talked to the BBC this week about what he has in store for the latest adaptation of Tolkien’s work, currently slated for release in December 2027. He began by explaining that the story “sits absolutely between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies, and books in fact.” 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,” he adds.
The Hollywood star then confirms that he is not directing the new Lord of the Rings film, Shadow of the Past, written by none other than chat show legend Stephen Colbert: “I think that that post has been taken, put it that way,” Serkis says. “That’s going to be a fascinating story too. I know it’s something that Stephen’s very, very excited about being part of.”
A chunk of the interview centers on fan criticism of Serkis’ Hunt for Gollum cast, which so far only consists of white actors, though more major announcements are expected in the coming months.
The BBC notes that Serkis has been a campaigner for equality across his decades-spanning career, and included mention of his saying in 2018 that being one of the few white actors on the Black Panther set gave him a more personal understanding of what it feels like to be an ethnic minority in the industry.
But he still accepts that his Hunt for Gollum cast resembles the nearly all-white lineup from the original Lord of the Rings films. “Tolkien himself was influenced a lot by Norse mythology, there’s a lot of that feeling. The Shire feels very, very much like a very, a very white, you know…,” says Serkis, before saying: “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.”
“Yes, there have been criticisms,” he says of the lack of diversity in Tolkien’s world. “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.”
Earlier this year, Serkis confirmed for the first time that the role of Aragorn will be played by a new actor in The Hunt for Gollum.
He is talking to British press this week to promote the U.K. theatrical release of Animal Farm, an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s fable.
