Actor and filmmaker Andy Serkis announced a reading marathon of "The Hobbit" for COVID-19 relief, which is expected to last for about 12 hours this Friday, May 8.
Actor Andy Serkis to read 'The Hobbit' for 12 hours to help fight COVID-19
Serkis will be reading J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" during a live stream this Friday, May 8 to help raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts that would benefit the UK organizations, Best Beginnings, and NHS Charities Together.
The marathon will begin in earnest with Serkis already dubbing it as "a Hobbitathon," which will kick off at 10 AM EST and is expected to go on for about 12 hours or so. Serkis already has set up a GoFundMe for the live stream reading in hopes of raising about £100,000 or $123,000 for two UK organizations.
If ever the fundraiser will reach its goal--which is most likely to happen given the millions of fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's work--Serkis teased "there may be a special surprise later in our journey." A link to the live stream will be posted on the GoFundMe page as well as Serkis' social media accounts.
Serkis wrote for the description of the event "From an unexpected party to the last stage, join Bilbo and me on this tale of high adventure . . . 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."
He joins many of his colleagues in a wave of fundraising efforts for the NHS to help stop the coronavirus pandemic, including centenarian Colonel Tom Moore, who has already raised over £30 million or $37.4 million by walking laps of his garden up to his 100th birthday.
Daniel Radcliffe has also joined several celebrities to read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" to keep the legion of fans entertained.
Read More: Valorant's Anti Cheat Software Makes Your PC Overheat, And Gamers Are Complaining, Here's Why
Andy Serkis bringing Gollum to life in ‘The Lord of the Rings’
pic.twitter.com/xwj1ADnitB — The Lord of the Rings (@lordoftherigns) March 5, 2020
More about actor/filmmaker Andy Serkis
Serkis is one of the people who helped pioneer a new era for CGI and motion picture capture acting with one of his most famous roles, Gollum/Sméagol, in Peter Jackson's "Lord of The Rings" trilogy. He was also lucky enough to reprise his role in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
He also had roles in movies such as "Star Wars" and "Planet of the Apes" trilogies. Besides acting, he also directed films like "Breathe," "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle," as well as the upcoming movie "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," which will be a follow up to 2018's Venom.
For sure, the live stream will be a treat for all who have the chance to spend time and enjoy reminiscing about the adventures in the story.
Read More: Watch The Viral Coffin Dance With "Coronavirus" Patient Gets Heavily Criticized
