We had a discussion a while back on a decision the makers of the Middle Earth on-line game had made, to allow 'interracial' marriage & gay relationships in their Middle-earth, & whether there was line which shouldn't be crossed as regards what should & should not be allowed - or rather what
could be allowed in to any manifestation of Tolkien's world, if it was to remain in any way faithful to the original.
http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=13903
Can an adaptor of a secondary world into another form/media do just anything they want, or should they stay within the limits set by the creator? If Jackson had introduced aeroplanes or guns into 'his' Middle-earth, would that have been acceptable 'because books & movies are different things', or should there have been a line drawn
somewhere to keep the movies 'in the spirit' of Tolkien? And if you believe that there should have been such a line (wherever you'd have drawn it) aren't you inviting a comparison between the book & film & admitting that the book in some way determines what the film can & cannot depict?