Over the last several years, it has become increasingly common for fandom to be celebrated which makes sense in a lot of ways. After all, on the bright side of things, fandoms often bring people together to celebrate something they love. On the other hand, it also is true that toxic fandom has become a more and more noticeable problem. For example, some Euphoria fans began harassing a Toronto woman simply because she shares the name of the show’s creator.
Ever since the Lord of the Rings books were published, the fictional series has had a very devoted fan base. On the bright side, many of those people simply adore the series and do what they can to celebrate it, including coming up with some truly remarkable Lord of the Rings fan theories. Sadly, however, the LotR fandom can be toxic at times as well. For example, some Lord of the Rings fans are mad at the upcoming TV series for a truly disappointing reason.
What's Known About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
After the Lord of the Rings movies were released in theaters during the early-2000s, they were met with near-universal acclaim. Sadly, however, when the book that precedes the Lord of the rings trilogy was adapted into a trio of films, The Hobbit trilogy was met with much more mixed and even negative reviews.
Despite the way The Hobbit movies were received, the fact remains that J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous stories continue to be beloved to this day. With that in mind, it makes sense that when it was announced that a new TV series based on Tolkien’s work was being produced, there was a lot of excitement. Then, when it was revealed that the series was being produced with a massive $1 billion budget, it seemed clear that Amazon was going all out to make the show as good as possible.
After Tolkien fans learned that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was in the works and about its massive budget, it took a while for people to learn more about the show. However, after some time, a teaser trailer for the show was released as well a series of images featuring the show’s cast. For many Lord of the Rings fans, that footage and images were met with nothing but excitement.
Why Fans Are Mad About 'The Lord Of The Rings' TV Series Cast
As any fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work will already know, the books he wrote feature many different fantastical creatures. As a result, many of the actors who starred in the films based on Tolkien’s work wore lots of makeup to bring those creatures to life. Despite that, the fact remains that when moviegoers saw the films based on Tolkien’s work, they watched a slew of characters who were all brought to life by white actors.
Evidently, when some J.R.R. Tolkien fans learned that a TV series based on his work was in production, they assumed all of the show’s main characters would be portrayed by white actors. However, when more information came out about the series, it became known that people of color were hired to star in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Sophia Nomvete portrays a dwarf princess, Ismael Cruz Córdova portrays a silvan elf, Nazanin Boniadi portrays his human love interest, and Lenny Henry portrays a hobbit ancestor.
Considering that most fantasy films in history have all starred white actors, it clearly is about time that the genre becomes a lot more diverse. Despite that, some Tolkien fans were mad The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has a more diverse cast. The reason for that, those fans argued, is they believed the characters were white because Tolkien was creating a mythology for Britain. Of course, that ignores the fact that many British people aren’t white and that wasn’t the case when Tolkien wrote his stories either.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power React To The Casting Controversy
After the casting controversy centered on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power came to light, it didn’t take long for the show’s producers to address the situation. While talking to Vanity Fair about the upcoming show and controversy, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber didn’t mince words when addressing the casting choices.
“It felt only natural to us that an adaptation of Tolkien’s work would reflect what the world actually looks like. Tolkien is for everyone. His stories are about his fictional races doing their best work when they leave the isolation of their own cultures and come together.” Additionally, a J.R.R. Tolkien scholar named Mariana Rios Maldonado who didn’t work on the show spoke to Vanity Fair for the same article and called the people complaining out. “Obviously there was going to be push and backlash, but the question is from whom? Who are these people that feel so threatened or disgusted by the idea that an elf is Black or Latino or Asian?”
