All articles tagged with #andy serkis
Kotaku surveys Andy Serkis’s recent public missteps—from defending an all-white The Hunt for Gollum cast to framing ‘cancel culture’ as overblown, while embracing AI as a creative tool—and links these remarks to his projects like The Hunt for Gollum and Animal Farm, suggesting a shift in his stance on representation and technology in filmmaking.
Andy Serkis says The Hunt for Gollum will somewhat acknowledge the Lord of the Rings franchise’s lack of diversity but won’t be a politically correct, casting-for-the-sake-of-box-ticking effort; the announced cast so far is all white (including Dornan, Taylor-Joy, Winslet, Pace, Woodall, Wood, McKellen) with Serkis returning as Gollum, and he notes Tolkien’s Norse influence and The Shire’s insularity as context. The Rings of Power backlash over diverse casting is referenced, with supporters condemning racism. The film opens December 17, 2027.
Deadline debuts on-set footage of Andy Serkis directing The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Serkis in a motion-capture suit as he returns to play Gollum; the project is set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring and highlights advances in facial and performance capture that enable more nuanced outdoor shooting.
Production has officially begun on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Andy Serkis directing and reprising his role as Gollum; first on-set footage shows Serkis in motion-capture gear on location in New Zealand as the team works toward a December 17, 2027 release, reuniting Serkis with Peter Jackson and the original Middle-earth team alongside cast members like Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Lee Pace and new stars Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, Leo Woodall and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Filming has begun on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Andy Serkis directing and starring; Peter Jackson is producing. The film appears set before The Fellowship of the Ring, bringing back Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, and Lee Pace, with Jamie Dornan stepping in as Aragorn and new cast members Kate Winslet and Anya Taylor-Joy; the movie is slated for a December 17, 2027 release.
Andy Serkis addressed criticisms that his Hunt for Gollum cast is too white, saying the project isn’t about ticking boxes and he won’t pursue political correctness at the expense of the story, while noting that more casting announcements are coming. He also clarified he is not directing Stephen Colbert’s Lord of the Rings film, and that The Hunt for Gollum is part of a broader Tolkien expansion. The cast currently includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Leo Woodall, with Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen reprising their roles.
Andy Serkis told the BBC that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will address diversity where relevant and won’t be a tick-box exercise, noting Tolkien’s Norse influences and the Shire’s perceived whiteness while acknowledging criticisms; the film will cast new stars such as Anya Taylor‑Joy, Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan and Leo Woodall, with Serkis directing and returning as Gollum for a December 17, 2027 release.
Andy Serkis defends the largely white Lord of the Rings cast as faithful to Tolkien’s world and not a tokenistic 'box-ticking' exercise, explaining that historical influences shape casting; he previews The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past and hints at future announcements, and also discusses his animated Animal Farm, denying CIA funding and addressing critical reception while noting its UK release.
Anya Taylor-Joy has joined the cast of the upcoming Lord of the Rings film The Hunt for Gollum to play Seren, a Sindar elf. Directed by Andy Serkis, the story sits between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies and features a returning ensemble (Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Lee Pace as Thranduil) alongside new cast members like Kate Winslet as Marigol and Jamie Dornan as Strider; the movie is slated for a December 17, 2027 release.
Anya Taylor-Joy has joined The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, portraying Seren—a new elf character created for the film directed by Andy Serkis, who also stars as Gollum/Sméagol. The returning cast includes Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and Lee Pace as Thranduil, with Jamie Dornan stepping in as Aragorn/Strider, and Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall in supporting roles. The movie is scheduled for a December 17, 2027 theatrical release.
Peter Jackson says Andy Serkis should direct The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a story set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, with Jackson producing and stepping back to give Serkis freedom. Jackson calls the Serkis-directed version the more exciting take, and notes he’s also working on a new Tintin project; he also discussed potential future films like the Dambusters Raid. The project is targeted for a December 17, 2027 release.
At Cannes, Peter Jackson says AI in film is a 'special effect' he doesn’t dislike, while warning the current AI debate could threaten recognition for motion‑capture performances like Andy Serkis’ Gollum. He also teased The Hunt for Gollum, a Serkis‑led project, and emphasized license rights for likenesses. Elijah Wood presented Jackson with an honorary Palme d’Or as the festival spotlighted his impact on filmmaking.
IndieWire’s review argues Andy Serkis’s Animal Farm (2026) is a well‑intentioned but misguided adaptation that sacrifices Orwell’s political edge for a family‑friendly, spectacle‑driven approach, resulting in tonal inconsistency and a muddled reinvention that fails to honor the source material.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck critiques Andy Serkis’s new animated adaptation of Animal Farm as a bland, family‑friendly retelling that forgoes Orwell’s anti‑Stalinist themes in favor of cute CGI hijinks and a pop‑music soundtrack. While it retains the basic fable structure and features a strong voice cast (including Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Glenn Close, and others), the film sacrifices political depth for kid‑friendly plotting, resulting in a visually uninspired but competently voiced movie that still offers some end‑credit charm.
Warner Bros. unveiled The Hunt for Gollum at CinemaCon, with Andy Serkis directing and returning as Gollum, joined by Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Lee Pace, plus Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall and Jamie Dornan in new roles; set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the film lands in cinemas on December 17, 2027, continuing the Middle-earth saga following the original trilogy’s nearly $3 billion worldwide haul.