Lord of the Rings fans have reacted with shock to reports that the forthcoming Amazon Prime adaptation will feature sex scenes and nudity.
The reports stem from a casting call put out by BGT Talent Agency, spotted by Lord of the Rings fansite TheOneRing.net, which calls for actors who are “comfortable with nudity”.
It has also been reported that the series has hired an intimacy co-ordinator, prompting rumours that the series could be featuring some sex scenes.
JRR Tolkien’s original fantasy books did not include any sexual content, and neither did the Noughties film adaptations directed by Peter Jackson.
Fans of the franchise voiced their discomfort with the notion on social media.
“I don't like this,” wrote one Twitter commenter. “Mind you I'm all for graphic content... But not Lord of the Rings.
“We had Game of Thrones to scratch that itch. We don't need graphic content anywhere near Tolkien.”
“All #Tolkien fans simultaneously were disappointed,” wrote someone else.
“Wow. Game of Thrones-esque type,” wrote a third person. “Never comes to mind they're going that path. Shame! Shame! Shame!...Shame, I am!”
“Nope. This is not the spirit of LOTR,” complained a fourth person. “I loved GoT, but this is not Tolkien.”
Plenty of others saw the funny side, however, with one commenter joking that the series would feature “wall to wall elf sex, just as Tolkien intended”.
Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings will take place in a different time to Jackson’s movie franchise, after Tolkien’s estate banned the studios from altering or replicating stories already told in the films.
They have not confirmed any suggestion that the series will feature sexual content or nudity.
