Over the last 20 years,Andy Serkishas gone from “that guy in the motion capture suit” to respected Hollywood actor and director. As well as pioneering the motion capture technology that brought Gollum to life in Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy andThe Hobbit, Serkis has immersed himself in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien by becoming the narrator of a number of new audiobooks based on the author’s works. With Warner Bros. Pictures now moving ahead with newLord of the Ringsmovies, Serkis has addressed the possibility of returning to the franchise again. Speaking toBroBible, the actor said:
“Look, [producers] Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens are sort of a second family that I have become part of and have gone on to make so many films with. And — let me tell you — they are the best and most incredible people to work with. I think that there are so many other potential Middle-Earth projects which could come about, and if they’re doing them, I would, of course, jump at the chance to have that relationship rekindled … Middle-Earth has never left me.”
Of course it is unlikely that Serkis would be returning to playGollumin the new movies, as even if Warner Bros. decide that their new movies will re-tread Jackson’s trilogy in part, there is a sense that having been there and done that, Serkis would have no need to want toplay the same characterin the same role again.
Andy Serkis Praised Prime Video’s Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power
While many people were unimpressed with Prime Video’s hugely expensive and canon-alteringLord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Andy Serkis was not one of them. Although the actor was not involved in the production, he was fully appreciative of how hard it can be to build on thewell-known world of Tolkienin a way that needs some ground rules to be laid out in advance. He said at the time:
“Yeah, I absolutely watched it, and it really - once you get through understanding the rules of it, and actually how loyal to the trilogy and the feel of the trilogy music by Howard Shore for the opening sequence, et cetera - I found it incredibly engaging, and I really, really enjoyed watching it. And also, because I’d done an audiobook recording of The Lord of the Rings, and read the appendices, and had to read them out loud, I was quite clued up about where it was going to go, which was great, and it was really helpful because I’m going to be - don’t tell anybody - reading The Silmarillion, as well. So you heard this first. Yeah, no, so I really enjoyed it very much so.”
The news of more adventures from Middle Earth heading our way received a mixed bag of reactions. Some believe that there is no need to exploit the IP any further than it did with the much-expanded version ofThe Hobbit, and others who can’t wait to return to Tolkien’s world. Whichever side of the fence people are on, there is a long way to go before the newest additions to the franchise will be ready for release.
