New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Director Addresses Lack of Diversity in Cast

Movie-goers should not expect the new “Lord of the Rings” film to have much diversity  — and the director is not apologizing for it.

Andy Serkis said the movie will not have “politically correct” casting. Serkis is directing “💍The Lord of The Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” and portrayed Gollum in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.

He told the BBC that J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world was inspired by Norse mythology and that diversity would be included only “where relevant.”

“Serkis said Tolkien’s depiction of the Shire reflects its inspiration in Northern European folklore,” per the Daily Wire.

“The Shire feels very, very much like a very, a very white, you know …” he said. “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.”

The upcoming movie features a predominantly white cast, including Jamie Dornan, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, and Leo Woodall, olong with returning stars Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen. 

Serkis also acknowledged criticism of the original franchise. He added diversity would be included only where it fit the story.  

“This particular film is somewhat acknowledging that, but I don’t think we will be doing a politically correct just-casting-for-the sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version of the film,” Serkis said.