2021 The Lord of the Rings (Andy Serkis)

Release Date: 2021.09.16
Reader: Andy Serkis
Language: English
Translator: n/a
Organization: HarperCollins
Copyright: ℗ HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780008487300, 9780008487317, 9780008487324
Duration: 65 hours 19 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: United Kingdom
Licenced: Yes
Formats: CD, Digital

Andy Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012).

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Serkis performed a 10-hour continuous live-read of The Hobbit (dubbed the “Hobbitathon”) to raise money for charity. It was so successful (£400,000+ raised) that HarperCollins commissioned him to officially record the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.

Serkis has described the recording process as one of the most exhausting experiences of his career, even compared to motion-capture acting. While the finished audio is roughly 65 hours long, it took many weeks of 10-hour days in a sound booth to complete. Serkis noted that he felt “psychological and physical fatigue,” often feeling that his own moods mirrored the journey of the Ring-bearer. He famously said, “On more than one occasion I was sure I wasn’t going to make it to the Crack of Doom!”

Torben Sekov and Andy Serkis are the only two known official narrators who have done the “hat-trick” of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.