While 2020 has more or less an absolute shit-show so far, there is at least one piece of good news that might be on the horizon: tomorrow, we might be able to hear Andy Serkis shout “my precious” once again. As it turns out, Serkis, who, like the rest of us, has a lot of time on his hands and not that much to do for work or play, will use his efforts to give back. Starting tomorrow morning, Serkis will sit down and read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, the prequel novel to the Lord of the Rings Series, in one sitting, per Deadline. Per Serkis’s estimate, that’s a 12-hour reading of the Hobbit, which might mean he reads the seminal text more than once.
He may be able to reprise his role as Smeagle-before-Smeagle-Smeagled, but the question that is on everyone’s mind — beyond, how can a man sit and read a 310 page novel out loud in one sitting without stopping — is, will he do voices for every character?
Join me for the Adventure this coming Friday, May 8. Stay tuned for more details on how you can support @NHSuk and @bestbeginnings pic.twitter.com/nxK11BTl4b
— Andy Serkis (@andyserkis) May 3, 2020
Unfortunately, we won’t know until tomorrow morning, when the whole event kicks off. Serkis’s Herculean efforts will help the U.K.’s NHS Charities Together and Best Beginnings. Charities Together is a member organization that helps give money to the NHS daily to help fund their efforts in normal times, but the charity is especially important today, while the NHS fights COVID-19.
Best Beginnings is a charity that helps families from pregnancy, to birth, to baby, to beyond, helping give kids the best start in life and funding efforts to help long term-development and well-being of kids. So, Serkis is giving back in a major way — and giving to us, viewers, by (ideally) giving other famous audiobook voices a run for their money. Plus, the return of a young and strapping Bilbo Baggins, a many hundred years younger Gollum, and perhaps Gandalf in his bachelor prime? Sign us up.
