Venom: Let There Be Carnage director and star of the Planet of the Apes series, Andy Serkis, is now finally working on his animated adaptation of George Orwell’s seminal 1945 novella Animal Farm. As per a report by Deadline, work is now underway on Animal Farm, which will see Serkis step behind the camera once again for the adaptation for Aniventure and his company The Imaginarium. Production is taking place at Cinesite in London, which specializes in visual effects for film and television as well as feature animation, and is now celebrating its 30th anniversary.

A novella by George Orwell, Animal Farm is an allegorical fable that tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. The tale reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, but has since become a go-to example when discussing political power and totalitarian autocracy.

Serkis will work from a screenplay written by Nicholas Stoller, best known for Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie and both The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted. Animal Farm was initially set for release on Netflix, but it is unknown at this time whether that is still the case. Andy Serkis will produce the project alongside Adam Nagle (Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank), Dave Rosenbaum (Hitpig) and Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle).

Andy Serkis’ Animal Farm Has Been in Development for a Long, Long Time

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Universal Pictures

Andy Serkis has been planning to adapt an animated version of Animal Farm for as long as a decade. He had previously revealed that it would be his next project following the release of the Sony comic-book outing Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and the filmmaker, actor, and motion capture maestro is understandably excited to finally see his vision for Orwell’s story come to fruition.

“The challenging journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen has been finally rewarded by the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite,” Serkis said in a statement. “Together we hope to make our version of Orwell’s ever relevant masterpiece, emotionally powerful, humorous, and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but for generations to come.”

“Ever since 1945, when George Orwell first published Animal Farm, the story has remained relevant and a key instrument in understanding how the world works,” added producer Adam Nagle. “Andy has had a special talent for creating unique and memorable characters during his remarkable career and we’re thrilled to be working with him, Jonathan and Cinesite to adapt Animal Farm for modern audiences.”

Animal Farm does not yet have a release date. While Animal Farm has been adapted for the screen several times over the years, we look forward to seeing what Andy Serkis has in store.