Attention all fans of Middle-earth! There is a new fantasy webseries being launched and it needs YOUR support! In this latest creation from New Zealand filmmaker Peter Haynes, six gamers find themselves trapped inside the bodies of their characters from an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). This webseries called AFK is “a compelling and frequently hilarious look at what would happen to a group of modern gamers if they were suddenly forced to inhabit the world they spend so long in virtually. A world away from modern conveniences and technology, where they have to live off the land. They are ‘AFK’ – away from keyboard, in a world with no rules, no game masters, and no multiple lives….only the survival of the fittest, fastest, strongest and most cunning. Basically, AFK is ‘Lord of the Rings’ meets ‘Battle Royale’.” AFK has a Kickstarter going right now, so if you want to see this story come to life, help out by pledging and promoting the project.
So why would fans of Middle-earth enjoy this series?
Ravi Narayan, who was the scale double for Kili in ‘The Hobbit’, returns as Maybel the Gnome in ‘AFK’
You may remember Ravi Narayan from his interview with Middle-earth News earlier this year. Ravi was Aidan Turner/Kili’s scale double for all three Hobbit films and now returns as Maybel the Gnome in AFK. He was very generous in helping me to explain why fans of Middle-earth will fall in love with this new webseries.
As Middle-earth fans we all have that geekyness in us. We can’t deny this nor can we try and hide it. We love it, adore and live it. AFK webseries shares a different take on this. The characters are different and so is the story. However the fundamentals of great humour, drama and action are all present. It is aimed at the gamers but no doubt will reach other audiences as well. Reason I say that is because the characters offer a range of talent and will keep the fans engaged.
There will be great New Zealand scenery to be admired as a bonus, as the series will be shot here in God Zone, New Zealand. All the cast and crew are keen to get on board and get this project going. The project is offering a chance to show case this hilariously knitted take on 6 ordinary, avid gamers who find themselves transported into the game and have to overcome their fears as their every move have consequences in their real lives.
AFK has a great storyline and the cast is full of talent. They feature talent from The Hobbit, Spartacus, and Legend of the Seeker. The team has the talent and resources to pull this through and needs all the support that we can get. So please support us. We really appreciate it.
Director Peter Haynes was kind enough to speak with me as well.
Personally, I feel like fans of Middle Earth and fantasy in general will find the series appealing because it will ask the question I’m sure many fantasy fans have asked themselves…what if I found myself there? How would I cope? What would I do? And how long would I survive? This is a question that would apply to any fantasy setting, not just the MMO setting presented in the series.
Sure, there’s plenty of comedy in AFK, but there’s plenty of scope for drama as well. There will be a through story that wasn’t really hinted at in the trailer, specifically the quest to reunite Q with her child in the real world. We’re not just going to rely on the laughs and gags to get us through, although there will be plenty of those 🙂
And of course we have our LOTR / Hobbit actors, and the NZ landscape to appeal to fans of scenery porn 🙂 For the trailer we didn’t leave Auckland. For the full series, we’d certainly travel further afield.
Dallas Barnett as Bill Ferny Snr from ‘Desolation of Smaug’ and as V’rugga the Orc in the ‘AFK’ series
The series features a second actor from The Hobbit as well. Dallas Barnett played the ominous bar patron, Bill Ferny Snr, during the Bree flashback scene in The Desolation of Smaug. He was kind enough to lend me his thoughts on AFK: “This series is a labor of love for everyone involved. We have brought together cast and crew from LOTR, The Hobbit, Spartacus, Legend of the Seeker, Narnia and many more iconic New Zealand-produced movies and TV shows to make this series.”
Clearly, AFK has more than enough potential to be an amazing series! All it needs now is the funding to help get it off the ground. Please check out their Kickstarter page and spread the word! With your help, this awesome webseries can become a reality.
More more information, pictures, and video go check out their Facebook page.
2 Comments