Andy Serkis Says THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM Will Feel Like THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy — GeekTyrant
Andy Serkis is officially headed back to Middle-earth as an actor and director, and he just gave a promising update on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum . It's exactly the kind of reassurance fans of the original trilogy have been hoping for.
In a recent interview with Collider while promoting his upcoming adaptation of Animal Farm , Serkis shared that while the film is still in its early stages, real movement is happening soon.
Prep work is ramping up in the next few months, with filming set to begin in early to mid-2026. The release is slated for December 2027. Serkis talked about the film saying:
'We're very early on in the process. We've been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We're about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so.
'We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it'll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it's a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release.
'I'm incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy.
'The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we're investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.'
Serkis is aiming for the same tone, scope, and heart of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That should ease some anxiety from fans still smarting from the uneven Hobbit films or skeptical of more Tolkien spin-offs.
Set during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring , The Hunt for Gollum follows Gandalf's pursuit of Gollum after realizing Bilbo's ring is actually the One Ring. It's an interquel that fills in a crucial gap, and Serkis, who will also reprise his iconic role as Gollum, is the only confirmed cast member so far. But, Ian McKellen is also expected to return.
Lord of the Rings fans are pretty protective of the original trilogy's legacy. Expanding on that world is always a high-wire act. But Serkis isn't rushing in. He's taking his time, planning carefully, and grounding the project in what made the originals so special. His deep connection to the material, and to Gollum in particular, makes him a uniquely qualified guide for this chapter. I hoipe that he pulls it off.
If this movie delivers on what Serkis is promising, a character-focused journey with the emotional and mythic weight of the trilogy, it could be a powerful return to form.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Geek Girl Authority
6 hours ago
- Geek Girl Authority
THE RINGS OF POWER Brings 3 New Cast Members to Middle-earth for Season 3
Highlights Prime Video has announced three new cast members for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla and Adam Young are joining the expansive cast roster. Richardson will be a series regular, while Varla and Young will appear in recurring roles. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 Three new faces are coming to Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power 's highly anticipated third season. Actors Andrew Richardson, Zubin Varla and Adam Young are boarding Season 3 in varying capacities. Richardson will be a series regular, while Varla and Young will recur. As of writing, character details are under lock and key. Andrew Richardson Richardson boasts a theater background, having cut his teeth as Sky Masterson in the Bridge Theatre's production of Guys & Dolls . On the TV front, Richardson's credits include The Last O.G. and Extrapolations. He can next be seen in Peacock's Cold War thriller Ponies opposite Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. RELATED: The Rings of Power : Morfydd Clark and Charlie Vickers on Season 2 and Beyond Zubin Varla Varla is an award-winning actor and singer who's also no stranger to treading the boards. His theater credits include Tammy Faye , Measure for Measure , Fun Home , Jesus Christ Superstar and Equus . On TV, he played Xanwan in Disney+'s Andor , Rafi Raza in a recurring role on Holby City and Leo Kamali in Strike Back . He can next be seen in Netflix's Hostage . Adam Young On stage, Young has starred in several productions, including Redlands , Withnail and I , Twelfth Night , Henry V and The Alchemist . As for his TV credits, Young had a multi-episode arc on EastEnders as Stas Saunders and appeared in two episodes of Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air as Miller. He can next be seen in Mikey Altoft's drama short I Have My Reasons . Here's a logline for Season 3 per The Hollywood Reporter : 'Jumping forward several years from the events of Season 2, Season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last.' RELATED: Read our recaps for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay produce Season 3 alongside executive producer-director Charlotte Brändström and executive producers Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble and Kate Hazell. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 is filming at the show's new production home at Shepperton Studios in the UK. Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Prime Video. Regarding a Season 3 premiere date, based on the release schedule for the past two seasons, we could expect it sometime in 2026. Featured image credits – for Andrew Richardson headshot: Ivan Weiss; for Zubin Varla headshot: Leon Puplett; for Adam Young headshot: Abby Dunlavy THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Adds 2 New Faces to Season 3 Cast Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Animation, Writers & Actors Guilds Hold 'Historic' Anti-Generative AI Protest At Annecy: 'GenAI Seeks Not To Support Artists, But To Destroy Them'
Representatives of international animation, screenwriters and actors guilds staged a protest at the Annecy Animation Film Festival on Thursday to voice their fears over the implications of generative AI for their professions and human creativity in general. Around 150 people joined them on the stretch of grass known as Le Paquier in front of the festival's key hub of the Bonlieu National Theater, holding guild flags and banners expressing their rejection of AI. More from Deadline Warner & DC Studios Making 'Mister Miracle' Animated Series With Showrunner Tom King 'Animal Farm' Review: Andy Serkis Directs Seth Rogen And All-Star Voice Cast In Clever And Chilling Take On Orwell's Classic Novella – Annecy Animation Festival 'In Your Dreams' Trailer: Netflix Unveils Animated Comedy Adventure With Craig Robinson & Simu Liu In Voice Cast AI and generative AI is a hot button topic at Annecy this year. Many animation professionals are wary about what AI means for their creativity, skills and livelihoods, while a small but growing group is advocating for the sector to embrace the technology. Belgian-based director, storyboard, layout and background artist Lauri Sanders, who heads up the AI task force at Belgium's animation workers union ABRACA, read out a statement laying out their concerns and demands. Read the full transcript below. 'Generative AI is neither a tool, nor effective, nor cheap. It is a copying machine that is flawed, destructive and expensive to run. GenAI literally builds upon and draws not only from the copyrighted works it was trained on, but also from the local human cultural values and norms embedded within those works,' read one extract. (scroll down for full statement) It has been signed by more than 20 guilds representing creative professions including the UK's Bectu, Ireland's video game org GWUI and animation workers union AWI, America's The Animation Guild, Netherlands' Kunstenbond and a number of French bodies including writers' bodies La Guilde and Syndicat des Scénaristes and animation union SPIAC-CGT. As well as raising the alarm over the threat posed by unchecked generative AI, the statement also makes demands around consent in relation to work being used to train Generative AI, compensation and control for artists over how their work is then used. Thursday's protest and the statement were spearheaded by France's Les Intervalles, the association against abuse and discrimination in animation. French actor and animator Milo Hustache-Mathieu and SPIAC-CGT member told the assembled crowd that the protest marked an 'historic' event. 'Having a such a coalition right now takes us so high. The whole sector is in crisis and AI is looming over our heads. It's amazing that, thanks to Les Intervalles, we managed to gather that many associations, unions and organizations from all the around the world,' he said, calling on other bodies to sign up too. 'This danger of generative AI shows the bonds between workers internationally, even if we're all in different countries and can't negotiate the same things. We need to bond together. Let's keep up the fight.' Speakers from crowd included UK hand-drawn animation specialist and influencer Howard Wimshurst who said the gathering was an important step. 'What we see here with these flags represents something essential. It is not the solution but without it we have no hope and that is solidarity,' he said. 'This year, I've seen a lot of films. Luckily there are less AI entries which is good because it means I have to walk out less times but there are panels where you'll hear people get up on stage and say things like, it's just a tool, we need to use it, otherwise we'll be left behind. 'There are speakers here who want to collect their thirty pieces of silver and they will turn on friends they've known for years and decades and it's really sad. Don't listen to them. They also want to dazzle you with this idea, that it's all about the technology. 'The technology is a vehicle for exploitation. It's a vehicle to extract data that people have worked their entire lives to create, they put everything into that data. It's not just data. Data is such a reductive word, but unfortunately that is how it can be exploited. So don't listen to them.' Here's the full statement: This statement was composed and supported by a collective of international Animation Unions, federations, and organisations calling for action in regards to the usage of generative Artificial Intelligence and its destructive impact, not only on the global animation industry and the craft itself, but also on everyone who is employed by it, our culture and our is an undeniable fact that the animation industry has been suffering greatly these last few years. The economics of streaming have been proven to be not at all lucrative and the increased spending during the pandemic led to the unavoidable burst of the streaming bubble. It is the workers that were staffed up with false promises that are feeling the repercussions through mass layoffs, the increased use of outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions that lead to the closure of studios and ever decreasing echoes across multiple audiovisual entertainment industries and affects workers in animation, music, VFX and the gaming rapid expansion of Generative AI in animation is propelled by the perceived beliefs that it is the answer to these developments. To work in these industries is a constant battle to prove our economic worth to a very small number of people, and to those people genAI brings an offer too good to be true: a near magical machine that can produce words and images from a simple and vague AI is neither a tool, nor effective, nor cheap. It is a copying machine that is flawed, destructive and expensive to run. GenAI literally builds upon and draws not only from the copyrighted works it was trained on, but also from the local human cultural values and norms embedded within those works. It poses an immediate threat to creative innovation and renewal, replacing the richness and diversity that characterize human creativity with a creativity shaped by the biases of those controlling and using it. It actively pushes creatives out of their respective industries, which will not only lead to the inevitable loss of knowledge and talent that will never be recuperated fully, but also directly leads to the privatisation of allart process and is a technology that seeks not to support artists, but to destroy them. The absence of humans is a feature, not a bug, of AI art. It is not a tool. We do not 'use' genAi – we negotiate with it to try and make it do the things we want it to do. GenAI promises only the loss of employment and livelihood for the millions of people worldwide that work at keeping the world connected through their the audiovisual industry is not the only victim of this increasingly damaging tech development. This same technology is being used to foster dissent, confusion and distrust among the public and has wide-ranging implications beyond international security, including the fabrication of criminal evidence and news, new forms of sexual harassment including deepfake pornography and/or privacy computational power required to train and use generative AI models demands a staggering amount of electricity and water which directly strains municipal water supplies and disrupts local ecosystems. This unchecked growth and unjustified techno-optimism comes with incredible environmental consequences, including expanding demand for computing power, larger carbon footprints, shifts in patterns of electricity demands and an accelerated depletion of natural resources, additionally exploiting without any respect for human such, there is a need for protection frameworks around the ethical and fair use of AI. For this we refer to the research brief of the International Labour Organization (ILO) which proposes the concept of '3Cs' (compensation, control on the use of the work of the creator, informed consent), but also for policies, nationally and internationally, to manage workforce transition through skills development, as well as the use of social protection to support workers affected by A reasonable balance between on the one hand technological innovation and on the other hand a sustainable and strong cultural and creative sector, requires that training AI with copyright-protected works should only be possible with the (informed) consent of the author(s) of those Performers and creators should be fairly compensated for the use of their work including but not limited to illustrations, animations, writing, voicework, likeness, or image, in AI generated Creators—such as writers, musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, and other professionals—need to be able to govern how their works, identities, and creative inputs are used, adapted, or reproduced by AI systems. This control ensures that the creators' intellectual property (IP), labour, and reputations are respected and that they receive fair recognition and compensation. In order for this to be realized, creators need to have an understanding on what AI – and particularly GenAI – entails; it is also necessary to build agency among them to negotiate relevant employment call upon the regulators, lawmakers and governments to fight for culture and art and the value it provides, to draft and implement legislation that protects those workers and those call upon producers, showrunners, studio heads and production staff to understand and protect our creative culture and to prioritize both the workers and our call upon all creative workers worldwide to unite. We ask that you support human made works. We ask that you speak up against the implementation of AI. We ask that you become informed and unionise with your fellow workers to protect ourart and culture, our work and our and supported by:ABRACA (Belgium, animation workers union)AGrAF (France, directors, graphic authors and writers association)BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union)AWI (Ireland, animation workers union)CNT-SIPMCS (France, press media culture and show union)CSVI (Spain, video game union)FIA (The International Federation of Actors)FIM (The International Federation of Musicians)FNSAC-CGT (France, CGT Federation of Entertainment Unions)La Guilde française des scénaristes (France, writers union)GWUI (Ireland, videogame workers union)Les Intervalles (France, association against abuse and discrimination in animation)Kunstenbond (Netherlands, illustration, comic and animation workers)La Ligue des auteurs professionnels (France, authors union)Syndicat des Scénaristes (France, writers union)SFA-CGT (France, actors dubbing, comedians union)Snam-CGT (France, musicians union)SNTPCT (France, animation and VFX workers union)SPIAC-CGT (France, animation workers union)STJV (France, video game workers union)The Animation Guild (USA, animation workers and writers union)TouchePasàMaVF (France, actors dubbing association against GenAI)Uni MEI (International Art and Entertainment Alliance) Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘We Did Not Make ‘Animal Farm' for Any Algorithm': Director Andy Serkis on Animating Orwell
'Animal Farm' has always been, since its first publication in 1945 by British novelist George Orwell, both a timeless tale and a story of its time. It is no surprise, then, that Andy Serkis' animated adaptation feels so deeply rooted in our own contemporary world. Bringing the film to its global premiere at the Annecy Animation Festival yesterday, Serkis appeared moved and delighted to present 'Animal Farm' in front of a packed Bonlieu. The film features a star-studded cast led by Seth Rogen (voicing a rowdy/eerie version of Napoleon), Gaten Matarazzo (Lucky), Woody Harrelson (Boxer) and Laverne Cox (Snowball), along with talents such as Iman Vellani, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close and Serkis himself. More from Variety Nickelodeon, Paramount Animation Smurf Up Annecy Crowds With Packed Slate and Exclusive SpongeBob SquarePants Preview Cartoon Network Studios Icons McCracken, Tartakovsky, Sugar, Quintel, Ward and Muto on The Studio, State of the Industry and What Inspires Them Taicca and Gobelins Paris Announce Partnership at Annecy to 'Nurture Original Stories from Taiwan': 'Dream Bigger and Reach Further' Back for the second year at an event that he, according to artistic director Marcel Jean, 'immediately fell in love with,' Serkis spoke with Variety about the film, decades in the making. Firstly, what compelled you to adapt this particular story? I have such strong memories of reading the book when I was around twelve. Along with the 'Hobbit' book, those were the two books that really resonated with me. Then I saw a theatrical production at the National Theatre in London in the 1980s, and I thought, wow, there's a way of telling this story visually as well. Smash cut to 2011, when I was working on 'The Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' and we were shooting the sequence where Caesar, the character I was playing, leads the apes to freedom in a sort of rebellion. And suddenly I realized that there hadn't been a cinematic representation of 'Animal Farm' for a long time. We started to work on it and did a lot of experimenting, which led us to realize that animation was the right medium for this adaptation. That allowed us to keep the innocence of the storytelling that the original book had, while being able to say much more than live action would allow us to do. In live action, such a story would necessarily have been darker from the outset. Whereas with an animated movie, breaking those ties with reality and keeping Orwell's book, which he described as a fairy tale, in that realm gave us much more freedom to still have emotional engagement with the characters, keep it innocent, and then progressively let the darker themes come in underneath that. Humor also plays a great part in your modern adaptation, especially through Napoleon's character. Why was it important to you? We didn't want to create a cardboard cutout sort of villain from the start, where it was obvious that he was scheming, plotting and planning. Our world is a lot more complex now. The notion of truth is almost destroyed so that we are blinded by what is happening. When we started writing Napoleon many years ago, there was already a sense that the world was changing and that the pillars of our society we took for granted were already being undermined and destroyed. Having a charismatic leader who leans on funny at the same time seemed to work for us. I've said it many times, but the book is 80 years old, and it still feels as fresh and relevant today as it ever was. How have your casting choices shaped this adaptation, if they have in any way? They definitely have. We spoke to Seth Rogen about 12 years ago, when it was still going to be a performance-capture live-action film, same for Jim Parsons and Glenn Close as well, and they remained loyal to the project even though it took such a long time to complete. When we decided to turn it into an animated movie and things started to ramp up, we wanted great actors who could really embody the roles fully. We brought Steve Buscemi, Iman Vellani, Laverne Cox on board. In truth, we felt so blessed because everyone wanted to do it because of the passion for the book they had. To whom did you create this film for? What audience did you have in mind when building this project? I would say this is a film for people of all ages. We've screened it for young kids, and they absolutely loved it, and I think it's because it's not patronizing to them. It actually asks them to put themselves in the central character's position. That was a big decision on my part, to find a central character that is innocent, becomes corrupted and realizes that he is corrupted. I wanted to take our young audience into that world where they have to do some adult thinking, and vice versa. Family films tend to either be patronizing to children or feel like they have to satisfy the adults, and it feels like it's just doing a job of ticking boxes. We did not make this film for any algorithm. We made it because we feel that this is the right way to tell a story. Orwell wanted to write for young inquiring minds who had to make tough decisions, and that guided us for this adaptation. How has working with the animated medium shaped your vision of cinema? I've always loved animation, back to my very first memories of watching Disney classics such as 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' or 'The Aristocats.' It's the first time you get to experience emotions other than your own in a shared environment, and it transports you. Even though it didn't start as one, I'm so glad that this project ended as an animated movie, and I've learned a huge amount as a director. I'd definitely like to do more animation, but at the same time when we were into production, I thought I would never want to do animation again. Animation is a very long process, but in it you learn to value every single frame, because everything in them is thought precisely and woven carefully. Every decision has to be made because you're basically creating every single pixel on screen, and that's a beautiful thing. It makes you realize how valuable every moment is. Going back to Lucky's character: Around the end of the film, Lucky rouses all animals by asking them to remember what brought them together in the first place. As human beings, what would you want us to remember today? To really remember that truth is something to be valued. Honesty, selflessness as well. We have all become self-driven, and I think it's worth reminding ourselves that there is satisfaction to be had in working not for yourself but for the benefit of others. That all sounds very woolly and, in a way, utopian. But I do think that there are certain core human values that are slipping away, and I think that our story somehow questions that. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
