Motion capture maestro Andy Serkis says it would be “amazing” to return to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien and play a role in the new Lord of the Rings movies being planned at Warner Bros. Pictures. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis, who of course paved the way for mo-cap with his stunning performance as Gollum in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, stated that he would jump at the chance to work with the likes of Peter Jackson again after all these years.
"I adore those guys and they are a second family to me. I've spent so many years making films with them. I love their sensibility and their take; it's filmmaking on a different kind of level. You live and breathe it. And so, yes, if some opportunity were to come up, it would be an amazing thing."
This is not the first time that Serkis has expressed interest in joining whatever the new Lord of the Rings project turns out to be. And while Peter Jackson has not been confirmed to be involved, reports have claimed that it is likely he will return in some capacity. Thus, we could see Serkis return to Middle-earth after last starring as Gollum twenty years ago.
Of course, Serkis would be unlikely to reprise the role of Gollum (falling into the lavas of Mount Doom is hard to come back from) meaning that the actor would play a different character. And it would not be the first time that Serkis has played multiple roles in a major franchise, with the Rise of the Planet of the Apes star having played the villainous Snoke in the Disney Star Wars trilogy before returning as Kino Loy in the Disney+ series Star Wars: Andor.
However the Lord of the Rings revival shakes out, audiences would no doubt love for Andy Serkis to be involved somehow.
Warner Bros. Will Tell New Lord of the Rings Stories
Rather than remake the award-winning trilogy helmed by Peter Jackson, Warner Bros. Pictures hopes to tell new stories set within the world of The Lord of the Rings. “Twenty years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realize the incredible stories, characters and world of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen. The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans,” Warner Bros. Pictures Group bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy said of their intentions.
Continuing, they revealed their plan to dig deeper into the “cinematic world” of Middle-earth; “But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film. The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honor, and we are excited to partner with Middle-earth Enterprises and Embracer on this adventure.”
Andy Serkis meanwhile has plenty in the pipeline, including his return as Alfred in the upcoming comic book movie sequel The Batman: Part II and his long-gestating plan to direct an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm.