Andy Serkis to Read THE HOBBIT in Marathon Charity Event

I truly believe Andy Serkis deserved an Oscar for his work on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His iconic performance as Gollum remains one of the most impressive in Hollywood history. And while he’s been terrific in plenty of projects since, it’s likely to be the role for which he’s most remembered. Now he’s using his connections with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth for a good cause here in our own world. He is going to read The Hobbit live for charity to help raise funds for the fight against COVID-19.

And he’s doing it all in one non-stop session.

Andy Serkis has announced that on Friday, May 8, starting at 10 am BST (5am EST, 2am PST), he’ll “be embarking on a marathon reading of The Hobbit—from cover to cover, there and back again. The entire book. A Hobbitathon!” The event will last between 10 and 12 hours, and can be streamed for free. That marathon reading will feel even longer for him though, because won’t be taking any breaks.

He’s doing it to help raise money for COVID-19 charities. The goal is to collect at least £100,000 to be donated equally between Best Beginnings  and  NHS Charities Together.

Andy Serkis to Read THE HOBBIT in Marathon Event for Charity_1New Line Cinema

He explained why he wanted to do this on the event’s GoFundMe page:

“So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown. While times are tough, I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written, a 12 hour armchair marathon across Middle Earth whilst raising money for two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need.”

Serkis says he will share a link to the reading before it starts, and “any donation size is hugely appreciated.” (You can make yours here). Also, if the fundraiser hits its £100,000 goal he says “there may be a special surprise later in our journey.”

We don’t know what that could be, but we really hope we find out, because that will mean a lot of money was raised.

This really is an incredible event. One of our favorite performers is reading a beloved book, and somehow that’s not even the best part of the whole project. They should give him an Oscar for that.

Featured Image: BBC

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