Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power cast break silence on racist backlash amid ‘threats and abuse’

LORD of the Rings: Rings of Power cast have broken their silence after receiving vile racist abuse online.

The TV adaption and prequel of the movie and book franchise officially launched in the UK on Amazon Prime last week.

However, the cast of the new series have been subjected to threats and abuse online – sparking show bosses to issue a statement on behalf of the cast in condemnation at the attacks.

The new series sees some actors of colour play the roles of elves, dwarfs and Harfoots.

In a bid to stop negative comments and fake reviews about the series Amazon is said to have delayed the posting of user reviews by up to three days.

In support of the prequel’s actors, Elijah Wood, who played in Frodo Baggins in their original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit posted his support along with other original cast members.

“We, the cast of Rings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity and against the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of colour are being subjected to on a daily basis,” said a statement posted to the show’s Twitter account.

It added that they “refuse to ignore or tolerate” the abuse.

It continued: “A world in which free peoples from different races and cultures join together, in fellowship, to defeat the forces of evil. Rings of Power reflects that.

“Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white. BIPOC belong in Middle-earth and they are here to stay.”

The cast also thanked fans for their support and acknowledge fans of colour are also being targeted online.

“We see you, your bravery, and endless creativity.”

Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime.