I'm progressive, I applaud diversity in films & TV series when it's organic to the story ... and I also agree that such changes made to Tolkien's work is wrong. It completely disregard's Tolkien's vision, which was a deeply personal one, a myth of meaning so powerful that he devoted his whole life to shaping it. He drew on his own lifelong love story with his wife, so much so that their gravestones bear the names Beren & Luthien. He drew on his devout Catholicism, as well as his depth of knowledge & scholarship, to imbue his work with its spiritual heart & soul. And like all such life-spanning artistic creations, it's very much an autobiographical one, expressing the whole being of its creator.
There are plenty of fine fantasy novels today that do have diverse characters & approaches, and I'd love to see some of them filmed. But just as I'd want their vision to be respected & treated thoughtfully, I want Tolkien's vision to be equally respected & treated thoughtfully. Sadly, I don't expect to see that in this upcoming series.
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