Whether you've read the Lord of the Rings trilogy or seen the films, it's hard to imagine Gollum ever teaming with hobbits in good faith. However, that's exactly what actor and director Andy Serkis will do this week for a charitable cause.
Serkis, who famously voiced Gollum in Peter Jackson's series of films, is set to read all of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit tomorrow (May 8) in a single sitting to raise money for charities supporting the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS).
"From an unexpected party to the last stage, join Bilbo and me on this tale of high adventure," Serkis wrote in announcing the marathon. "Together we'll face the might of the trolls, journey to the magical Rivendell, encounter the giant spiders in the labyrinths of Mirkwood, and the evil goblins living among the roots of the Misty Mountains, until we meet the dragon Smaug, and see the Battle of the Five Armies."
The marathon session will begin at 5 a.m. ET and, by Serkis's own estimation, will take 12 hours. Even before the #Hobbitathon kicks off, Serkis has encouraged fans to make donations to Best Beginnings and NHS Charities Together through a GoFundMe campaign for the reading.
Serkis added, "If we hit our target of £100,000, there may be a special surprise later in our journey."
Further livestreaming details will be shared through his social media accounts, while you can learn more about the pair of charities and make a donation here.
Serkis was recently tapped to direct the sequel to Venom, which was recently delayed until 2021. Late last year, he was tied to The Batman, which has also been delayed by COVID-19.
This week, more celebrities announced a similar plan to reread the Harry Potter series.
Serkis, who famously voiced Gollum in Peter Jackson's series of films, is set to read all of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit tomorrow (May 8) in a single sitting to raise money for charities supporting the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS).
"From an unexpected party to the last stage, join Bilbo and me on this tale of high adventure," Serkis wrote in announcing the marathon. "Together we'll face the might of the trolls, journey to the magical Rivendell, encounter the giant spiders in the labyrinths of Mirkwood, and the evil goblins living among the roots of the Misty Mountains, until we meet the dragon Smaug, and see the Battle of the Five Armies."
The marathon session will begin at 5 a.m. ET and, by Serkis's own estimation, will take 12 hours. Even before the #Hobbitathon kicks off, Serkis has encouraged fans to make donations to Best Beginnings and NHS Charities Together through a GoFundMe campaign for the reading.
Serkis added, "If we hit our target of £100,000, there may be a special surprise later in our journey."
Further livestreaming details will be shared through his social media accounts, while you can learn more about the pair of charities and make a donation here.
Serkis was recently tapped to direct the sequel to Venom, which was recently delayed until 2021. Late last year, he was tied to The Batman, which has also been delayed by COVID-19.
This week, more celebrities announced a similar plan to reread the Harry Potter series.
The live stream will start at 10am GMT (5am EST, 2am PST) Friday 8th May. The live-stream link will be posted on the GoFundMe page on Friday morning - and our team will post here as well.
— Andy Serkis (@andyserkis) May 7, 2020