The upcoming The Lord of the Rings TV show will feature Hobbits that are not white, according to Sir Lenny Henry. The epic fantasy trilogy followed hobbit Frodo Baggins in his heroic quest to destroy the Ring of Power and save Middle Earth from the tyranny of the Dark Lord. Peter Jackson's big screen adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's literary masterpiece is often considered one of the most successful and popular movie franchises of all time, and the success of the films prompted a similar adaptation of The Hobbit several years later.
Since the movies have ended, the legacy of The Lord of the Rings has continued to endure, with many comparing fantasies that have come since with the age-old classic. It was recently revealed that Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show adaptation will receive a September 2022 release date to air on Prime Video streaming platform. The highly anticipated series has supposedly been in the works for years, and it's believed to be one of the most expensive television series ever made in terms of production costs and personnel.
Now, one of the stars of the show, British comedian Sir Lenny Henry, has praised the additional diversity in the show, with the inclusion of black hobbits. The 63-year-old appeared on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live show to discuss the upcoming series, and his role in it. As reported by Bleeding Cool, Henry spoke about the differences between the show and the film series, and how there will be a greater focus on diversity and female empowerment in this adaptation. Read the actor's quote below:
"I'm a Harfoot, because JRR Tolkien, who was also from Birmingham, suddenly there were black hobbits, I'm a black hobbit, it's brilliant, and what's notable about this run of the books, its a prequel to the age that we've seen in the films, its about the early days of the Shire and Tolkien's environment, so we're an indigenous population of Harfoots, we're hobbits but we're called Harfoots, we're multi-cultural, we're a tribe not a race, so we're black, asian and brown, even Maori types within it."
While Amazon has yet to release a trailer for their Lord of the Rings TV show, there is actually quite a lot known about the series for it still being a year from release. The show will be set 1,000 years before the events of the movies, which will allow the writers to explore new stories with characters that audiences haven't met yet. Galadriel, Elrond, and Sauron will be part of the show's story, but there is a slew of other characters such as Oren, Beldor, Tyra, and Trevyn that audiences will be less familiar with. Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies did include a primarily white cast, but it's clear that Amazon is trying to diversify their characters.
Prime Video has become a top contender in the streaming wars with shows like The Boys and Invincible, and The Lord of the Rings should be another show to drive up their subscription numbers. Even 20 years since Jackson's first Lord of the Rings movie came out, the franchise is still incredibly popular. While characters like Frodo and Sam will always be beloved by fans, it will be a fresh change of pace to see more diversity in such a popular setting like Middle Earth. Regardless of what Amazon does, their show will likely be criticized if it strays away too much from Jackson's vision, but focusing more on diversity and female empowerment should be a welcome change to Lord of the Rings.
Source: Bleeding Cool