Production for Venom: Let There Be Carnage is on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, but director Andy Serkis is spending his time wisely. The Lord of the Rings star is lending his voice to raise money for charity by doing a special reading of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Serkis is calling this venture a “Hobbitathon:” in which he will embark on “a 12-hour armchair marathon across Middle Earth whilst raising money for two amazing charities.” Serkis, who portrayed Gollum in both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit movies, will be doing a full reading of Tolkien’s novel tomorrow, May 8th, starting at 10 AM BST (that’s 5 AM Eastern Standard time in the States), to raise money for NHS Charities Together and UK Best Beginnings via his GoFundMe page, where donators will receive a link to Serkis’s livestream. Serkis’s aim is to raise £100,000 and since opening the GoFundMe page, he has gotten halfway to meeting his goal.
The recipients of proceeds from this fundraiser, Best Beginnings and NHS, have both served as important relief efforts in Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Serkis wants to give back. He even has hinted to a special surprise for his listeners if the goal of £100,000 is met. Do not take Serkis for some conjurer of cheap tricks: this charity event is for real, and an unmissable event for any Tolkien fan.
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