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One day, many years ago, actor Andy Serkis sat in his kitchen working on the voice for the character of Gollum in Peter Jackson's forthcoming adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings. It was then, unexpectedly, that he became inspired by the most unlikely creature imaginable: his cat, Dizz.

Dizz came into the kitchen and began retching up a fur ball. It was in this moment, as Dizz gagged and lurched forward, that a light bulb went off in Serkis' head. “I saw his spine kind of rippling and he started to go [retching sounds] and that is exactly where Gollum came from," Serkis told a crowd of spectators at Fan Expo San Francisco in 2024. “My entire career I owe to my cat," Serkis quipped. And we owe Dizz for one of the most iconic voices in the movies:

At the time, Serkis was only focused...

Believe it or not, there was an Oscar buzz around Andy Serkis’ Gollum role in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Serkis played the voice and motion capture for the role. He initially had doubts about the role as he was unsure whether the mo-cap performance would work in the film. However, Peter Jackson believed it to be a relevant acting performance.

Andy Serkis as Gollum in a still from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Credits: New Line Cinema

Jackson compared it to John Hurt’s performance in The Elephant Man, a role that won Hurt a Best Actor nomination. Hurt had to wear heavy prosthetic makeup in the role and never showed his face, which prompted the director to believe that Serkis was eligible for an Oscar. However, he never received the recognition for The Lord of the Rings.

Peter Jackson believed...

Disney can often attract big names to appear in their animated movies, even if they are only offering a minor role. This means that some A-list actors and Oscar-winners have obscure roles in Disney movies that fans could easily miss. While the stars behind the biggest characters are usually publicized, like Dwayne Johnson in Moana and Robin Williams in Aladdin, it can be hard to recognize other actors based solely on their voices.

Disney's old classics generally don't have many recognizable names, because Hollywood's brightest stars weren't interested in animation and studios preferred dedicated voice actors anyway. The trend of casting high-profile actors in animated movies is a relatively recent one, starting in the 1990s and accelerating throughout the 21st century. These days, it's common for an animated movie's cast to be filled with A-list talent, but many of these actors can go unnoticed.

Thomas - Pocahontas (1995) Christian Bale

Christian...

The Lord of the Rings remains one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever adapted to cinema, having released two trilogies directed by Peter Jackson and a standalone feature helmed by legendary anime filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama. Furthermore, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is constantly expanding the lore of Middle-earth, but there's still a great deal of context to adapt from J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. As a result, Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to make additional films based on the writer's fantasy material, with the upcoming one spearheaded by Andy Serkis.

The director behind the works King Kong, as well as The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, has signed on for a producing role in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is still in its development phase. Even though Warner Bros. has not released anything substantial about the film,...

German kids and animation outfit Studio 100 International and Gaumont Animation are joining forces on a new animated series inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s classic The Jungle Book. The series, tentatively titled Jungle Book: Cub Club Adventures, is currently in early development and will explore Mowgli’s life before the age of 11.

Gaumont Animation, behind series such as Stillwater (Apple TV+), Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (Netflix) and Do, Re & Mi (Amazon), and Studio 100, a subsidiary of Belgian entertainment company Studio 100 Group, and home to Maya the Bee, Vic the Viking, Heidi and Mia & Me, will be bringing the show to Cannes and the international television market MIPCOM later this month, seeking production and financing partners.

Created by Josh Fisher, Jungle Book: Cub Club Adventures is being planned as a series of 52 episodes, each 11 minutes, targeting preschool kids and their families. The storylines will focus on Mowgli’s adventures with...

Frodo's iconic role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy may lead to a cameo in the upcoming movie focusing on Gollum's story. Elijah Wood's ageless appearance makes it easy for him to reprise his role as Frodo without the need for de-aging technology. The interconnected stories of Frodo and Gollum make a thematic Frodo cameo in the new movie a likely and relevant choice.

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy achieved fame with Elijah Wood leading the Fellowship's mission as Frodo Baggins, and now Wood's character has a chance to return to the big screen. Released in 2001, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring introduced Wood's halfling protagonist, who would go on to do great things in the next two movies. Over the course of the trilogy, Wood's Frodo became iconic, so his chance to return in a new Lord of the Rings...

Andy Serkis is one of Hollywood’s finest go-to actors for playing motion-capture roles in films. He played Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy, Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit films, and the titular character in 2005’s King Kong. However, many fans wouldn’t be aware of his role as a Performance Capture Consultant in Gareth Edwards’ 2014 kaiju film, Godzilla. Serkis explained that it was not a full-on acting role like his other monster roles.

Andy Serkis doing the motion capture work for Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Lucasfilm Ltd.

Beyond acting, Serkis has also tried his hands at filmmaking. He served as the director of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle in which he also did mo-cap for the role of Baloo. He is also the director of Tom Hardy’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage. He will soon helm the Lotr film,...

Last week, Warner Bros. announced plans for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a new movie set near the beginning of the original trilogy starring and directed by Andy Serkis.

Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, who wrote the previous movies, are set to pen the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). Filmmaker Peter Jackson, meanwhile, is producing the project.

In a lengthy interview with Deadline, the latter elaborated on why Gollum's origin story was the right focus for the first of what's expected to be a whole slate of spin-offs.

"The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic," Jackson said. "I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us.

Over 20 years since the Lord of the Rings trilogy ended, Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis have plenty more Gollum stories to tell.

"The Gollum/Smagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Smagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic," Jackson explained in a conversation with Deadline about the newly announced Middle-earth film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. On why Gollum remains so iconic beyond Serkis' groundbreaking motion-capture performance, Jackson suggested that classic Tolkien fans and moviegoers recognize "there's a little bit of both of them in all of us. We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didnt have time to cover in the earlier films. It's too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien."

Related The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim...

Exclusive: Since Warner Bros acquired rights to make more Middle-earth films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s works and the canon established by New Line’s original trilogy, Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings cohorts Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens hovered over the proceedings for a long time, as they mulled how to return, and much to involve themselves into another deep dive into Tolkien mythology.

As a business proposition, the allure is easy to understand: the two trilogies – the six Lotr and The Hobbit films — generated nearly $6 billion in worldwide grosses and enough Oscar gold to fill the lair of the dragon Smaug from 2012’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Go back 23 years, and the road was far more perilous when New Line founder Bob Shaye greenlit three Lotr movies that Jackson shot one after the other in New Zealand. One of the biggest gambles in film history,...

A new Lord of the Rings spin-off movie has been announced, and it’s getting the old gang back together; the producers/writers of both film trilogies, Peter Jackson, Phillipa Boyens, and Fran Walsh will be producing once more, and directing duties will be taken over from Jackson by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in both trilogies and who was also second unit director on The Hobbit films. Since then, he has directed three movies so he is well prepared to take on this one.

Serkis will also star in his original role of Smeagol/Gollum, and the film is currently tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. If that title means what we think it means, it could be a really exciting prospect.

The (Presumed) Story

We are assuming, on the basis of the title, that this film will cover Gandalf and Strider/Aragorn’s search for Gollum,...

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy announced today that the Oscar-winning team behind the nearly $6 billion blockbuster Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are reuniting to produce two new films from Tolkien’s Middle-earth for Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema.

The first of the two films, Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, will be directed by and star Andy Serkis, with Walsh and Boyens set to write the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.

Said De Luca and Abdy, “For over two decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran, and Philippa have...

Actor and filmmaker Andy Serkis, who became famous for his turn as Gollum in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film trilogies, has been tapped to direct and star in the new "Lord of the Rings" film "Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," as reported by Variety. Jackson will also be heavily involved in the new round of "Lord of the Rings" movies, and will have a producer credit on "The Hunt for Gollum." Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" co-writers Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh are also producing "The Hunt for Gollum" and are currently developing the script with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. This news comes from the latest earnings call for Warner Bros. Discovery, in which company CEO David Zaslav said that Jackson, Boyens, and Walsh "will be involved every step of the way" with the new "Lord of the Rings" movies.

Update: Well, that didn’t take long. Apparently, the first new Lord of the Rings movie we’ll be seeing from WB will be a Gollum spin-off feature starring Andy Serkis, who will also direct. The film, which is called Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set for 2026, and in addition to Serkis, the film will also boast a screenplay by original Lotr writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Peter Jackson will produce. Here’s the official release from WB (via Deadline):

“For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision. We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films.

Updated with working title, film details: The first of two new Lotr films at Warner — working title Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum — will be directed by and star Andy Serkis, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens set to write the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.

Peter Jackson will produce along with Walsh and Boyens, Wbd said in a release that fleshed out comments on the project by Wbd CEO David Zaslav earlier today.

Said Warner Bros. Motion Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, “For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have...

Will Rodman's fate in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes remains ambiguous, hinted at through subtle clues left in the film. Signs around Will's house suggest he may have succumbed to the Simian Flu outbreak, with Fema markings indicating infected individuals inside. While Will doesn't appear in the film, his presence is felt through mentions in the wider rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise and tie-in novel.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes may not have revealed the fate of James Franco's Will Rodman in dialogue, but it subtly confirmed the worst. 1968's landmark sci-fi Planet Of The Apes featured Charlton Heston landing on a planet dominated by sentient apes who have enslaved humanity. The franchise was rebooted in 2011 with prequel Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, where a present-day scientist named Will (James Franco) raises an intelligent chimpanzee named Caesar (Andy Serkis). The story ends...

Andy Serkis memorably played Caesar in the previous three Planet of the Apes movies, but he won't be returning as a new character in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Director Wes Ball reveals that there were conversations regarding finding a new role for Serkis, but that they decided it was best to save that for future films. With Serkis now being so well-known for his motion capture performances, Caesar specifically, it could prove distracting if he returns as a new character. It could work, however, if it's a non-speaking role.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball reveals that Caesar actor Andy Serkis could still return in future franchise installments. Following the conclusion of Caesar's three-movie arc with the emotional War for the Planet of the Apes ending, the next movie is set to tell a new story, 300 years later. Ball's sequel follows a new...

The live-action Disney remakes are a heavily contested project from the House of Mouse. Some fans believe these films were unnecessary and tarnished the legacy of the original animated hits. Others can see where Disney is making improvements, though. That extends to the underrated characters featured in these live-action outings.

When looking at the best characters in the live-action Disney remakes, it's important to focus on how they have been improved upon. Thus, these are not simply just Disney's best characters. These are figures that were able to demonstrate growth and depth after being adapted in a new way.

Related: 10 Underrated Live-Action Disney Films That Audiences Forgot

Mowgli

The Jungle Book is arguably one of Disney's best live-action movies to date. It's vibrant, fun and adds a lot to the original film. It takes inspiration from the source material by Rudyard Kipling and brings more energy and life to Mowgli.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes star Owen Teague reveals the advice he got from Andy Serkis, who played Caesar. Serving as the fourth film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series, the upcoming sequel is directed by Wes Ball from a script by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, and Patrick Aison. The film will follow Caesar's son Cornelius, reportedly played by Teague, years after the events of Matt Reeves' 2017 trilogy-capper War for the Planet of the Apes.

As the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes release date inches closer, Teague reveals in an interview with THR that he consulted with Serkis' as part of his preparation for the film. Although motion capture acting is very different from traditional acting, Serkis shared some words of wisdom that helped Teague through the process. Check out Teague's full comment below:

“Well, we all talked to Andy Serkis. He and I had a meeting,...

Plot: Young Ariel (Halle Bailey) yearns to explore the world beyond the sea but is forbidden by her father, King Triton (Javier Bardem). When she meets a handsome prince (Jonah Hauer-King), she hitches a plan to explore dry land but makes a deadly bargain with the evil Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), which could imperil the undersea kingdom.

Review: I’ve never really been down with Disney’s decision to take all their best-animated films and make them into live-action. To me, it’s never made sense. Would you make Toy Story live-action? What’s worse is that, typically, these live-action movies run at least half an hour longer than their animated counterparts and are bloated with extraneous musical numbers and plotting, making them an altogether less fun experience than the classics we grew up with. Have any of them been good? I suppose Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book comes the closest.

After nearly a decade of talking about it, the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie is finally coming our way later this year, thanks to the folks at Blumhouse. The company behind hits like "The Black Phone" and "The Purge" is bringing the beloved series of video games to life, meaning some animatronic murder bears will be gracing the silver screen this Halloween season. But a small movie from a couple of years ago may have beat Blumhouse to the punch, and Nicolas Cage was the man doing the punching.

In early 2021, as the pandemic was still raging on, Screen Media Films released "Willy's Wonderland," which features Cage as an unnamed janitor with no dialogue in a film that, as it happens, seems to resemble "Five Nights at Freddy's" an awful lot. Directed by Kevin Lewis, the film focuses on a quiet loner who agrees to clean an abandoned family fun...

Andy Serkis had a unique breakout performance with his turn as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies. Though his face isn’t actually seen, every nuance of his acting is captured and put up on the screen. He would go on to be the motion capture star for films including King Kong, also directed by Rings director Peter Jackson, as well as the new Planet of the Apes series. After a string of films where Serkis had actually appeared on camera, he also set his sights on working behind the camera.

ComicBook.com reports on Serkis as he discusses what his future in directing holds. In an interview with the mo-cap actor, he expounds that while he does get excited about big franchise projects, he’s interested in telling more intimate and idiosyncratic stories. “I’ve got a whole slate of films that I’ve been developing over the years.

This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page.

Charlie Mackesy always thought Tom Hollander would make a great mole.

More specifically, the artist who wrote and illustrated the bestselling 2019 book “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” felt the British actor was a wonderful match to voice one of his characters in the short film adaptation he co-directed with Peter Baynton. The film, now streaming on Apple TV + has charmed audiences worldwide and is nominated for an Academy Award for animated short film.

Mackesy describes Hollander’s voice as a “velvety, rich cake-like sound” and was thrilled the British actor got involved. Notes Mackesy, “His voice is rich, and has a great range, and can move between comedy and pathos very easily. His voice is so diverse,...

South Korea’s Climax Studios, behind recent Netflix genre hits Jung_E and “Hellbound,” is teaming up with Andy Serkis to develop a creature feature, The Monster Tale.

The Monster Tale will be written and directed by Jason Kim, who is behind South Korean possession horror The Divine Fury (pictured above) and the upcoming series “Bloodhounds.” Deadline reports that Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish will executive produce through Imaginarium Productions.

The upcoming feature “brings together a warring group of three infamous East Asian monsters, an unlikely team of enemies who must unite to defeat a menacing invasion by a monster from across the seas in Europe.”

“Bringing brilliant, flawed, and complex characters to the screen is at the heart of what we do at the Imaginarium, and we cannot wait to work with Climax Studio and their talented team to develop this wild roller-coaster ride of a story — it’s going...

Exclusive: Following the global success of Netflix original series D.P. and Hellbound, and the Netflix original film Jung-e, South Korea’s Climax Studio is developing filmmaker Jason Kim’s The Monster Tale along with Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish’s Imaginarium Productions.

Serkis and Cavendish will serve as executive producers on the project alongside Climax’s Byun Seung-Min.

The Monster Tale brings together a warring group of three infamous East Asian monsters, an unlikely team of enemies who must unite to defeat a menacing invasion by a monster from across the seas in Europe.

Kim, who has the upcoming Netflix original series Bloodhounds, is alsoknown for his Korean box office hit Midnight Runners, will write and direct The Monster Tale.

“Bringing brilliant, flawed and complex characters to the screen is at the heart of what we do at the Imaginarium and we cannot wait to work with Climax Studio and...

Here's a fun little word association game for you. When I say, "Most prolific motion-capture performer of our generation," who do you think of immediately? How about if I said, "Most pleasantly surprising guest appearance in a critically acclaimed, live-action 'Star Wars' series?" And lest we forget, there's also, "Grittiest, most sarcastic Alfred to ever appear in a 'Batman' movie?" The answer to all three, of course, is none other than Andy Serkis. But even that doesn't quite do justice to everything the actor has to offer.

For one thing, he's not "merely" an actor. The multi-hyphenate added filmmaking to his résumé with his directorial debut "Breathe" in 2017, following it up with his somewhat under-appreciated "Jungle Book" remake "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle," and then the action trashterpiece "Venom: Let There Be Carnage." 

However, Serkis has talked for a long time about wanting to film an adaptation of "Animal Farm,...

Get ready to praise the Wicker Man again, because the terrifying 1973 film is coming to television. A series adaptation is currently being pitched to broadcasters across the United Kingdom, according to Deadline. Actor and director Andy Serkis will help bring the show to life as a producer alongside Jonathan Cavendish through their Imaginarium production company. Howard Overman, who created the BAFTA-winning series "Misfits," will serve as the series writer.

"[Overman has] created a bold, shocking, and unique series," wrote Cavendish in a statement, "pulling the themes and terrifying power of the original Wicker Man into a thrilling modern setting."

Details on what will remain and what will be changed for this adaptation are being kept under wraps. However, Overman teased that this modern-day version will still "explore the same themes of sacrifice, superstition, and ritual that were at [the original movie's] core."

Time To Keep Your Appointment

Serkis's involvement is intriguing. The Imaginarium...

The actor will answer questions on Thursday on anything from her new film Mr Malcolm’s List to her career in movies such as Slumdog Millionaire

Mumbai-born actor Freida Pinto found fame after being cast in 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire: she had been working as a model for Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, Škoda and Vodafone, and was picked by Danny Boyle to star as the love interest to British-born star Dev Patel.

After Slumdog cleaned up at the award dos, Pinto went on to become a household name, with the unusual career trajectory for an Indian actor of having not featured in any homegrown Bollywood movies, skipping straight to Hollywood, where she’s stayed ever since. She featured as James Franco’s primatologist love interest in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and one of the few human characters in 2018’s Jungle Book update, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.

(Welcome to ...And More, our no-frills, zero B.S. guide to when and where you can watch upcoming movies and shows, and everything else you could possibly stand to know.)

Hot off his rather surprising appearance as the main villain Gorr the God Butcher in "Thor: Love and Thunder" (making him the latest actor to have dipped his toes into both ends of the DC and Marvel swimming pool), Christian Bale is about to venture back into much more familiar territory. Bale has collaborated with director Scott Cooper on a few occasions in the past, stretching back to 2013's "Out of the Furnace" and the 2017 Western "Hostiles." The third time should be the charm for both artists, as they're once again reuniting for the upcoming "The Pale Blue Eye." Official information about this project has remained scarce up until recently, as Netflix begins to ramp up marketing for the film...

“The Batman” actor Andy Serkis is set to showrun and direct “Madame!,” an epic period series about the life of Marie Tussaud, the visionary French artist known for her wax sculptures and the world-famous museum Madame Tussauds.

Newen Connect, the distribution arm of TF1 Group-owned Newen Studios, has signed a deal with Imaginarium Productions, the company founded by Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish, to co-develop and distribute the series which Serkis created. Cavendish will produce alongside Marie Guillaumond at Felicita Films.

The compelling series will shed light on this ruthless yet pioneering business woman who built her business, starting in 18th century Paris, during the age of enlightenment, the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, before travelling to England.

“This is no straight up period drama, it is a hilariously crazy, no holds barred, anarchic, punk caper conjured from the curiously twisted mind of a fabulously post-truth executioner’s daughter!

Saturday Night Live once again took aim at the Supreme Court’s alleged plans to overturn Roe v. Wade during Weekend Update. And while hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che made a few solid jabs, it was Kate McKinnon’s debut as Amy Coney Barrett that stole the segment.

Jost immediately quipped, “Good evening, everyone. Well, guys, tomorrow is Mother’s Day, whether you want it to be one or not.” While discussing the draft opinion leak on abortion rights, he explained that it could “cause lasting damage to the Supreme Court.

“SNL” cast member Kate McKinnon made her debut as Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday’s Weekend Update, taking direct aim at Barrett’s stance on abortion and fulfilling a piece of “SNL” fan-casting that’s been hoped for since Barrett was nominated to the Supreme Court back in 2020.

“I’m guessing you’re pretty happy with the draft,” Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost said to McKinnon as Comey Barrett in reference to the leaked draft opinion that could overturn Roe v. Wade. “I don’t know what would make you think that other than everything I’ve ever said,” she replied.

The majority of the Comey Barrett character’s appearance took aim at the real-life counterpart’s comments on abortion related to safe-haven laws. In 2021, Barrett asked during oral arguments why safe-haven laws wouldn’t ease the burden of parenthood from those seeking abortion. Safe-haven laws make...

Exclusive: The Batman, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis is set to direct the feature film The Giant’s House for Brooklyn and An Education producer Wildgaze Films.

Adapted by Oscar-nominated Brit scribe Nick Hornby (Brooklyn) from Elizabeth McCracken’s lauded 1996 novel, the story follows Peggy Cort, a young librarian who prefers the company of books to people. When James — a very, very, tall young man — visits her library, the two embark on a journey neither could have predicted. At the time of publication, a Times critic called the novel “the most original and enchanting romance I have read in a long time,” while G2 wrote “Every so often a novel comes along which transcends whimsy with the beauty of its writing. Elizabeth McCracken’s small masterpiece is one of these.” The poignant romance has been in the works for some time...

Andy Serkis (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) is directing an animated adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novella Animal Farm for Aniventure and his company The Imaginarium. Production is underway at Cinesite, which is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary as a world leader in animation and VFX.

The dystopian fable published in 1945 watches as a group of farm animals rebel against their human owner, in hopes of creating a society where they can be equal, free and happy. It was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels between 1923 to 2005, and won Orwell a Restrospective Hugo Award. It’s previously been adapted for radio and the stage, with John Halas and Joy Batchelor mounting a film adaptation in 1954, and John Stephenson adapting it into a TNT TV movie in 1999.

Nicholas Stoller adapted the screenplay for Serkis’ long-gestating film, previously set up at Netflix, which...

Madhuri Dixit, one of the brightest and most enduring Bollywood stars, is basking in the success of her streaming acting debut, Netflix’s “The Fame Game.”

The series bowed Feb. 25 and is among the top 10 Netflix shows in Mauritius, Bahrain, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the U.A.E.

In the series created by Sri Rao, and directed by Bejoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohli, Dixit plays top Bollywood star Anamika Anand, who at the height of her fame, disappears without a trace. The officer in charge of the investigation (Rajshri Deshpande) attempts to peel back the layers of the star’s seemingly perfect life by talking to her troubled producer husband (Sanjay Kapoor), domineering mother (Suhasini Mulay), conflicted children, a loyal housekeeper (Shubhangi Latkar), makeup artist (Kashyap Shangari) and frequent co-star (Manav Kaul). Also in the mix is an obsessive fan (Gagan Arora).

“People have imagined her to be the ideal,...

Wes Anderson has signed on to direct an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, for Netflix. Sources also note Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley have joined the cast, with production expected to start this month in London.

Netflix had no comment on the reports.

First published in 1977, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More” is a collection of seven short stories crafted by British author Dahl for older children. Cumberbatch will play Henry Sugar, the protagonist of the titular story, which poses the question: “If you could see with your eyes closed…would you use your power for good or for personal gain?”

The new movie marks Anderson’s second outing with Dahl’s classic works after the filmmaker crafted “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” into a stop-motion film in 2009 and co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach. The best...

Synopsis

Tom Hardy returns as the lethal protector Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters. In search of his next big story, journalist Eddie Brock lands an exclusive interview with convicted murderer and death row inmate Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who discovers Eddie’s secret and becomes the host for Carnage, a menacing and terrifying symbiote. Now, Eddie and Venom must get past their contentious relationship to defeat him. Directed by Andy Serkis (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) with a story by Tom Hardy & Kelly Marcel and screenplay by Kelly Marcel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage also stars Michelle Williams and Naomie Harris as Shriek.

Bonus Materials

4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, And Digital

• Outtakes & Bloopers

• 6 Deleted Scenes

• Eddie & Venom: The Odd Couple: What happens when two beings inhabit one body? A whole lot of chaos. Tom Hardy, Andy Serkis, and the team of filmmakers talk all things Eddie and Venom.

Exclusive: UK-based production house Envision Entertainment has significantly expanded its ranks by appointing two key executives.

Former HBO Europe CEO Linda Jensen, who pioneered the U.S. company’s growth into local-language programming, and experienced UK producer David Barron, whose credits include the Harry Potter franchise, have both joined the company to focus on distinct areas.

At Envision, Jensen will seek out and acquire local IP with international potential. She will also spearhead the launch of an investment arm at the company, which will also look to acquire stakes in synergistic media companies across the screen industry in complimentary fields such as publishing, gaming, and animation.

The team told Deadline they would initially focus on territories in Cee and East Asia (where Nakan has specialist knowledge), with plans to quickly expand into high-growth territories such as India, the Middle East, South East Asia, and Africa.

Envision founder Michael Nakan will...

No rest for the weary. The 13 remaining “Dancing with the Stars” celebrities performed routines inspired by Disney heroes on Monday night, but they had to get right back out on the dance floor for “Disney Villains Night” on Tuesday. So the bad guys got the last laugh, but which celebrities were able to keep up with the grueling pace? And who (if anyone) was kicked out of the Magic Kingdom at the end of the night? Scroll down for our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments and commentary throughout the night.

See‘Dancing with the Stars’ Disney Heroes Night recap: Who had the most magical moves on Monday night? [Updating Live Blog]

Melora Hardin topped the judges’ leaderboard for the first time on “Heroes Night.” Her “Jungle Book” quickstep earned straight nines for a total of 36 out of 40. That was followed closely by JoJo Siwa‘s Viennese waltz and Olivia Jade‘s samba,...

Okay, I was a little skeptical about actress Melora Hardin‘s quickstep on “Dancing with the Stars” for “Disney Heroes Night.” It’s not that I didn’t think she had the moves, but when her pro partner Artem Chigvintsev told her she’d be playing the lovable “Jungle Book” bear Baloo and that he’d be the panther Bagheera, I wasn’t exactly sure how that concept would translate on the dance floor. Clearly I needn’t have worried because their routine was a breakthrough moment for them in the ballroom. Watch their performance above and see what the judges had to say about it below.

See‘Dancing with the Stars’ Disney Heroes Night recap: Who had the most magical moves on Monday night? [Updating Live Blog]

Bruno Tonioli: “The queen of the jungle is in delightfully good form tonight. She’s becoming the queen of the ballroom. The best quickstep...

Right out of the gate, “Venom” may have been one of the all-time worst-reviewed Marvel movies — the film has an abominable 30% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but that didn’t stop audiences from flocking to see a bug-eyed Tom Hardy embody the character in the corny 2018 standalone, which racked up an astonishing $864 million plus worldwide. No surprise then, that parent studio Sony (whose grip on the Marvel cash cow has been limited to Spider-Man and his spinoffs) rushed to greenlight a follow-up that would pit Venom against his most recognizable non-Spidey nemesis back in early 2019.

Managed (more than directed) by motion-capture star-turned-aspiring blockbuster helmer Andy Serkis, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” has all the indications of a slapdash cash grab. The set-pieces look sloppy, the visual effects are all over the place, and the laughs come largely at the movie’s expense. But it does introduce Carnage, so in that respect,...

Andy Serkis ("Mowgli") continues developing  a live-action, performance capture adaptation of author George Orwell's 1945 novel "Animal Farm", to be produced by Serkis and Matt Reeves ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes") for streaming on Netflix:

"...with it's parallels to today's left wing socialism, Orwell's 'Animal Farm' was written as an allegory for the 'Russian Revolution' (1917) leading into the 'Stalinist Era' of the 'Soviet Union', with farm animals taking the place of historical figures.

"'Old Major', the aging boar on the 'Manor Farm', summons the animals on the farm together for a meeting, during which he slanders all humans.

"When Major dies, two young pigs, 'Snowball' and 'Napoleon', assume command and consider it a duty to prepare for the 'Rebellion'. 

"The animals revolt, driving the drunken, irresponsible farmer 'Mr. Jones', as well as 'Mrs. Jones' and the other human caretakers and employees, off the farm, now renamed 'Animal Farm'.

It’s Tom Hardy vs. Woody Harrelson in the new official trailer for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” the latest directorial feature from motion capture genius Andy Serkis. A sequel to the critically-panned but hugely successful 2018 comic book tentpole “Venom,” which earned over $800 million at the worldwide box office, “Let There Be Carnage” also marks the return of Michelle Williams to the franchise and the introduction of “Moonlight” Oscar nominee Naomie Harris as Shriek, the love interest for Carnage.

As revealed last month, Hardy is getting the first “story by” credit of his career on the “Venom” sequel after “spending months” brainstorming the narrative for “Let There Be Carnage” with screenwriter Kelly Marcel. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.”

“This is new for him, to get credit,” Marcel told Empire Magazine. “but it’s not new for him to be this involved. He’s absolutely 100 percent committed to everything that he does.

Earlier this year, Riz Ahmed was Oscar-nominated for his stunning lead performance in the music drama “Sound Of Metal,” and in many ways, that should boost your excitement for a somewhat similar music drama, “Mogul Mowgli.” But the timing of this indie couldn’t be better because now the anticipation for the film has to be even higher: award-winning filmmaker Bassam Tariq, the “Mogul Mowgli” director, has been chosen to direct Marvel’s “Blade,” which has got to be a big co-sign on ‘Mowgli’ considering not that many people have seen it and Tariq really hasn’t made a lot of more notable films other than the celebrated indie doc “These Birds Walk” (which earned Tariq the title of a Filmmaker to watch by Filmmaker Magazine).

Continue reading ‘Mogul Mowgli’ Trailer: Riz Ahmed Stars In A ‘Sound Of Metal’-esque Tale Of Stardom, Hip Hop & Illness at The Playlist.

Tom Hardy is the face of Sony’s “Venom” franchise, but he’s more than just the star of the upcoming sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” As confirmed by screenwriter Kelly Marcel in an interview with Empire magazine, Hardy is getting the first “story by” credit of his feature film career after “spending months” brainstorming the narrative for the sequel with Marcel. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” reunites Hardy and Michelle Williams opposite franchise newcomer Woody Harrelson as the eponymous villain.

“This is new for him, to get credit,” Marcel said, “but it’s not new for him to be this involved. He’s absolutely 100 percent committed to everything that he does. He’s married to Venom. He loves this character. He’s very involved in what he thinks should happen.”

As reported by Empire: “While Marcel gets the full screenplay credit, her script sprang from lengthy conversations with...

At long last, a first full trailer for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” has finally dropped, with new footage that promises another CGI-packed spectacle with Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, Aka Venom. One of the Marvel milieu’s most beloved antiheroes, Venom first got his own franchise film with the 2018 original, directed by Ruben Fleischer. “Let There Be Carnage” is currently set to be released on September 24 in theaters, though it has already bounced around the Sony Pictures release calendar. This is the latest entry in Sony’s cache of Marvel titles.

Motion capture master Andy Serkis steps behind the camera to direct the superhero movie followup to the smash 2018 hit. Critics trashed that comic book tentpole starring Tom Hardy as the notorious Spider-Man villain. It still went on to take in just over $850 million at the global box office.

For “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” Tom Hardy is back in the title role,...

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek was questioned by shareholders about Gina Carano’s firing from “The Mandalorian,” when cruise ships would set sail again and the future of Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy at the entertainment giant’s annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday.

It’s been a tumultuous first year atop Disney for Chapek, who took the reins from Bob Iger in February 2020, shortly before Covid-19 upended the entertainment landscape. And yet, it’s also been a 12-month period that saw Disney’s shares surge on the growth of its streaming offerings. Chapek noted that Disney’s stock went from $79 a year ago to above $200 this week.

The meeting also came as rates of Covid-19 are plateauing and vaccinations are becoming more widely available, potentially setting the stage for a revival in the film, travel, and media businesses, all pillars of the Disney brand.

“There is good reason to be hopeful…...

Frances McDormand as Fern in Chloé Zhao's Nomadland Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao and Sarah Gavron's Rocks led the charge in the BAFTAs today as the film shortlist was announced, with seven nominations each.

The Father, Mank, Minari and Promising Young Woman also made a strong showing with six nominations apiece.

This year the awards body instituted a long list system in a bid to increase the diversity of its nominees, after last year's selection drew criticism for its all-white acting categories and a lack of female directors. It seemed to pay off with more diversity notable in almost all categories, including four women directors in the Best Director shortlist.

The acting categories also showed considerably more diversity than last year, with films not in the English language also making their presence felt across the board.

Best Film

The Father The Mauritanian Nomadland Promising Young Woman The Trial...

Most of the classic films that run on TCM are introduced by a single host. In March, some will require a whole team.

The WarnerMedia outlet on Thursdays this month will seek to put some popular but troublesome films in better context, part of an effort it calls “Reframed.” A team of the network’s on-air personnel will introduce viewers to some of Hollywood’s most seminal pictures, which remain popular but are increasingly being scrutinized under a different lens as the nation ponders more deeply how people of different races, backgrounds and creeds treat one another.

Teams will ponder cultural issues posed by films such as “Gone With The Wind,” “Psycho,” “The Searchers,” “My Fair Lady” and “Gunga Din,” among others. Some of the hosts hope the initiative will continue beyond the next four weeks.

“We are hearing more and more from audiences about moments they are really puzzling over,...

Kollywood The film will see Prabhu Deva in multiple avatars. Digital Native The teaser of the Prabhu Deva starrer Bagheera has been unveiled and fans are thrilled to see the star in a new avatar. Prabhu Deva is appearing in multiple avatars in the film as was evident from the posters released earlier. The 1.40-minute teaser is loaded with suspense.The first look of Bagheera was released some months ago and it garnered the attention of the film buffs as the star was seen sporting a bald look with droplets of blood on his head. He is seen wearing glasses with three lenses with each of the lens carrying the reflection of Jungle Book's Mowgli sitting on Bagheera, a digital clock at 11:11, and a vintage car. Interestingly, this is the first time he has gone bald for a film. It may be noted here that the director had...