Posted in: Amazon Studios, Lord of The Rings, Preview, streaming, Trailer, TV | Tagged: amazon, lord of the rings, prime video, rings of power

Lord of the Rings Cast In "Absolute Solidarity" Against Racist Trolls

If you've been following our coverage of Neil Gaiman (The Sandman) pushing back on toxic trolls who've been attacking J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power because of its diverse casting, claiming without a clue that it goes against J.R.R. Tolkien's wishes. Well, that's just a small part of a bigger problem that the trolls have been unleashing upon the series, with cast members going public with their experiences of being abused online by supposed "fans" who apparently can accept anything and everything that goes on in a fantasy series except the idea of a woman or an actor of color actually starring in one. Now, the cast of the streaming series is letting everyone know that they're done putting up with it, they won't stand for it, and that they are in "absolute solidarity" when it comes to pushing back on racist, narrow-minded trolling wherever it rears its ugly head. Following that, the statement set the record straight when it comes to the world Tolkien created and how it was intended to reflect the world around us. And then it wraps with a pledge of love and support to the fans, who've made the series successful, despite the abuse they've also had to endure on social media simply for appreciating being represented. Here's a look at the full statement:

Here's a look at the original tweet from the streaming series' social media account. Following that, a look at the statement from Jen Salke, Head of Amazon Studios: "We're really proud of the cast that we have in the show. We welcome discussion and even criticism around the series; however, we will not condone racism of any kind."

Heading into the Prime Video series' two-episode debut, the streaming series was riding an impressive 83% "Fresh" average score on Rotten Tomatoes (RT) with critics. But over on RT, there was a shocking contrast when it came to the audience review, hovering around an average 37% "Rotten" score, resulting in many viewing it as another example of "review bombing." And over on the streamer, Amazon suspended its ratings system for the show, with a source telling The Hollywood Reporter that "reviews are being held 72 hours to help weed out trolls and to ensure each review is legitimate," a policy reportedly instituted earlier this summer for all of Prime Video's shows.

While the majority of reviews on RT addressed specific issues with the series, a number of other comments appeared aimed more at attacking the show for societal or political issues they believe the show is attempting to make and not on the actual quality of the streaming series itself. For example, "They wanted to involve such an important work with current politics and they have succeeded" and  "Reflecting world diversity in Middle Earth is an odd goal, albeit good for marketing maybe, but it was clearly more important than making a functional TV series." If this sounds familiar, it should. Disney+ and Marvel Studios' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was also reportedly review-bombed, heading into its premiere with an 88% "Fresh" average score among critics, only to get hit with a 36% "Rotten" average score among viewers. What will be interesting to see will be if The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will see a bump in its audience score once "bombs" are factored out of the equation. For example, She-Hulk saw a jump from 36% to 50% over the past week (though there are rumblings of concerns that the series may be targeted again after a recent appearance by Megan Thee Stallion was met with some harsh social media pushback).

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