The latest entry in the fantasy franchise has so far cast Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Lee Pace in new roles.

Andy Serkis defends his all-white *Lord of the Rings *ensemble, says casting process wasn’t ‘politically correct’

The latest entry in the fantasy franchise has so far cast Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Lee Pace in new roles.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 15, 2026 8:11 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Andy Serkis at the premiere of ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ in 2023. Credit:

ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty

- Andy Serkis is responding to the lack of diversity in the announced cast of his upcoming *Lord of the Rings *film, *The Hunt for Gollum*.

- Serkis noted to the BBC that source author J.R.R. Tolkien was “influenced a lot by Norse mythology.”

- “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,” he explained.

Andy Serkis’ upcoming *Lord of the Rings** *film has so far an all-white cast. But, he surmises, maybe that’s what Tolkien had in mind?

*The Hunt for Gollum*, the latest entry in the franchise kicked off by Peter Jackson and based on the source material by J.R.R. Tolkien, is slowly building an arsenal of some of the greatest actors working today. But there’s one thing they all seem to have in common.

When the subject of the film’s lack of diversity was put to Serkis, who directed, co-produced, and will star in *The Hunt for Gollum*, the *Animal Farm *star noted, “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…” he continued during an interview published on Monday by the BBC. “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.”

Anya Taylor-Joy, Elijah Wood, and Kate Winslet.

Cindy Ord/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage

Undaunted, Serkis continued: “Yes, there have been criticisms,” he said, even adding that his new addition to the franchise “is somewhat acknowledging that.”

But acknowledging a diversity criticism is not the same as incorporating a diversity criticism. “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. “So, it’s where relevant basically.”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' is kind of a catastrophe

'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum' officially recasts Aragorn

*The Hunt for Gollum *is a standalone feature centered on the enigmatic titular character, portrayed by Serkis in Jackson’s Oscar-winning film trilogy. It’s a sequel to the events of both *The Hobbit** *and the Prime Video series *The Rings of Power*.

But it isn’t quite a prequel to the *LOTR *films, however, as several key scenes from the extended Tolkien mythos pertaining to Gollum’s journey from innocent, Hobbit-like Stoor to shifty and tortured ring-seeker occur shortly after the beginning scenes of *The Fellowship of the Ring*.

In fairness to Serkis, criticisms of this kind have been directed at virtually every iteration of *Lord of the Rings*, from Tolkien’s books to Jackson’s films. *The Rings of Power *is one notable exception, as the cast of the streaming prequel features significant diversity across racial and gender lines.

The cast of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ in 2024.

Ian West/PA Images via Getty

The full cast of *The Hunt for Gollum *has not yet been released. But every new cast member and actor returning from the Jackson trilogy is white.

So far, the cast includes returning players Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and of course, Serkis. New names include Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, Jamie Dornan, and Lee Pace.

The pivotal player of Aragorn is one potential site for a casting shake-up, as Serkis announced in April that he intends to recast Viggo Mortensen, who played the warrior in the trilogy. “I don’t know what’s out there at the moment, but I know there’s a lot of speculation,” he said at the time, “but let’s just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone.”

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Sci-Fi”