Actor and director Andy Serkis will be performing a live marathon reading of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
Set to take place on May 8th, the reading will take a whopping 12 hours, starting at 5 A.M. EST or 2 A.M. PST here in the United States. That’s pretty early in the morning for those in the United States, but it’s worth it to hear Serkis read The Hobbit.
After all, you couldn’t find a better reader for The Hobbit than Serkis. The actor is famously known for playing Gollum in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. His performance in each film is incredible, and he has become a defining element of the six films. Serkis, ever since his performance as Gollum, has become an actor known for his work with technology. He has starred in King Kong and The Planet of the Apes. He has also directed Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. Ultimately, though, Gollum has been his most famous role.
This reading isn’t just for entertainment value, though. The live reading is to support two charities, the first being the NHS UK or National Health Services. The NHS is the publicly funded health care system in the UK. The other charity is Best Beginnings. Also a UK charity, Best Beginnings focuses on providing resources for families and relevant professionals to combat child health inequalities. All of these extremely important causes, especially given how hard the United Kingdom has been hit by the coronavirus.
So, Andy Serkis has started turning pages to combat the impact COVID-19 has had on healthcare systems in the UK by reading The Hobbit. The live-stream link will appear on the GoFundMe page for the event. Go ahead and be transported to a world much more fantastical and magical than our own. And, while you enjoy the reading, make sure to donate a few dollars. We all need to come together and help each other in times like these.
But, while you are waiting for the stream, read our ranking of all The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films. There is also a Gollum video game in development, although Andy Serkis won’t be in it sadly. Regardless, it looks very interesting, and more The Lord of the Rings is always a good thing.
Will you be attending the live-stream? Planning on donating? Let us know in the comments below!
