Oh boy. Neil Gaiman has found himself on the receiving end of Elon Musk followers who argue that Amazon’s Lord of the Rings is too “woke.” This all started when a Twitter user asked Gaiman what he thought of Musk’s remarks, to which The Sandman legend declared that Elon should stay in his own “fail” lane. On the “fail” note, Neil had referred to Musk’s on-and-off-again quest to buy Twitter, an adventure that’s led to a public legal battle. And Gaiman does know more than Elon about what it’s like to adapt epic fantasy for streaming, given that his new Netflix show is a rousing success, and he’s previously jousted with a tiny “backlash” over diverse casting.
Well, Gaiman poked the metaphorical bear, which is poking him back, and he’s now playing with that bear. Angry Twitter users are now coming at him while seemingly believing that Neil adapted Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (he did not) for Amazon. “YOU crushed my hope – not Elon,” one user wrote while accusing him of refusing to “listen to fans” or “respect the source material” and making “a parody of LotR!” To that, Neil is mock-apologizing. “I’m so sorry,” Neil wrote. “I have taken your hurt to heart and promise that I will no longer make any Lord of the Rings based television for any network ever.”
I’m so sorry. I have taken your hurt to heart and promise that I will no longer make any Lord of the Rings based television for any network ever. https://t.co/pZrFFuwjHh
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 8, 2022
It doesn’t stop there. When a user came at him with a request to “Stop all the ‘woke diversity’ sh*t, and give us GOOD Lord of the Rings expanded universe,” Gaiman responded, “I’m doing my best but, you know, making all that Lord of the Rings stuff is hard. Er.”
I’m doing my best but, you know, making all that Lord of the Rings stuff is hard. Er. https://t.co/LouXB0h5AL
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 6, 2022
To make things even clearer, Gaiman found himself articulating that he had nothing to do with Rings of Power. Rather, he simply “made the mistake of answering a question when someone tagged me.”
None. I’ve watched the first two episodes and enjoyed them. Apart from that I just made the mistake of answering a question when someone tagged me. https://t.co/1yacwyLGXn
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 6, 2022
Let’s just say that these interactions are providing amusement.
I can’t stop laughing over neil gaiman responding to people who think he ruined LOTR
— han (@hansoeii) September 8, 2022
Neil gaiman talking to elon musk fans who think he is responsible for the new lord of the rings show is the best thing that happened yesterday 😀 pic.twitter.com/EEPoAiLDys
— Dodi (@DodisCorner) September 8, 2022
If you or a loved one had a show ruined by author Neil Gaiman, you may be entitled to financial compensation. https://t.co/HTSvYdwvIN
— Natural One Crafts !!COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN!! (@Natural1Crafts) September 8, 2022
In conclusion, Neil also has some practical advice for dealing with trolls: “Keep them talking until sunrise.”
Keep them talking until sunrise. https://t.co/XCu2QkATrY
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) September 5, 2022