Andy Serkis addresses lack of diversity in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Andy Serkis, star and director of the upcoming Lord of the Rings film The Hunt for Gollum, has addressed and defended the lack of diversity in the film's cast. It's something the original trilogy caught its own share of criticism for, and something that fantasy fans keep a watchful eye on when looking at adaptations set in their favourite worlds.

Speaking with BBC News, Serkis explained that J.R.R. Tolkien was "influenced a lot by Norse mythology, there's a lot of that feeling." He went onto say that the Shire feels like a "very white" place. "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."

"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 said.

As much as a film may be criticised for not being diverse enough, on the flip side a lot of fantasy fans now make their voices heard when a film appears to be adding in actors or characters without a reason besides "ticking boxes," as Serkis describes. It can be a bit of a lose-lose situation, but Serkis understands the importance for diversity, and has often been an advocate for it. After filming Black Panther, for example, he recalls his eyes being opened to the experience of being a minority on set.