The Big Budget Series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, adapted from the work of JRR Tolkien released on September 3 on Amazon is at the heart of a controversy on social networks. Some criticize the choice of actors from diversity who would distort the work. Several roles are indeed entrusted to black or Hispanic people. Others see it as a good development.
“There are not only white people in Middle-earth” defended the Amazon group against criticism of its casting. The Rings of Power actually takes place in Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, the cult trilogy already adapted to the cinema. Tolkien drew inspiration for his work from the Middle Ages in which the characters are elves, dwarves or hobbits.
In a press release relayed by the Twitter account of the series, the actors also stepped up to the plate: “ JRR Tokien has created a world which, by definition, is multicultural and in which free people of different races and cultures come together to defeat the forces of evil. »
But if purist fans protest against a supposedly forced diversity, some Internet users see it as a welcome development. The controversy around rings of power does not dampen the enthusiasm of the public. The series attracted 25 million viewers on the first day of its release, a figure that continues to grow. Broadcast on the Amazon Prime video platform, the title has a substantial budget of more than a billion dollars for at least five seasons.