In a recent interview with the BBC, Andy Serkis discussed his upcoming Lord of the Rings movie, The Hunt for Gollum. The film has recently begun production, with Serkis himself starring as the titular character and a star-studded cast including Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, and Leo Woodall. In addition, Ian McKellan and Elijah Wood are reprising their roles from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy as Gandalf and Frodo Baggins, respectively.

During the interview, Serkis discussed the film’s primarily all-white cast. Speaking of the casting decisions, Serkis began by noting the general lack of diversity in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien.

“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. 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.”

Serkis further discussed the topic and defended his casting decisions by saying the following:

“Yes, there have been criticisms. 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.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is slated for theatrical release on December 17, 2027.