Andy Serkis is coming off his riveting performance in Disney+’s Andor, but the role that made him a fan-favorite could be coming back around again if Warner Bros. and New Line have their way.
The studios announced in February they were looking to develop new Lord of the Rings movies that would be set during the Third Age – during which Serkis’ devious, tragic character Gollum was around. Original trilogy director Peter Jackson and his writing team are in talks about potentially being part of the new films.
There are many “ifs” to all this right now, but we asked Serkis another: If a movie is greenlit, with Jackson’s team in the mix, would he be interested in being a part of it?
“I adore those guys and they are a second family to me,” Serkis tells The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Obviously, such a character wouldn’t even necessarily need to be Gollum, given Serkis’ ability to transform himself into just about anybody via motion capture (his roles include playing the Sith Lord Snoke in the Star Wars sequels and the simian rebellion leader Caesar in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy).
The 59-year-old actor’s work in the Oscar-winning Rings trilogy is widely credited as helping turn Gollum into the first fully believable, photorealistic and popular motion-capture cinema character (sorry, Jar-Jar).
Warner Bros. film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy have previously noted they’re not looking to repeat Jackson’s films, but rather tell new stories: “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. 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.”
Serkis’ recent turn in Andor is notable for being precisely the opposite of so many of his exotic character creations. Prisoner Kino Loy looks just like Serkis in real life and wears the same paper costume as dozens of other incarcerated characters. It’s not yet confirmed as to whether his fan-favorite character will appear in the second part of Andor (filming now and probably coming in 2024), but a return of the Kino seems rather likely.
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