Moviefone Editorial

Tag: andy serkis

  • Andy Serkis Set to Direct ‘Venom 2’

    Andy Serkis Set to Direct ‘Venom 2’

    Andy Serkis
    Marvel Studios

    Actor/director Andy Serkis, best known for his motion capture work in the “Lord of the Rings” and “Planet of the Apes” franchises, has been tapped to direct “Venom 2.”

    Serkis was one of the names on the short list to take over the sequel from the 2018 original’s director, Ruben Fleischer.

    “Venom” was a massive hit, earning $856 million worldwide. It also proved that Sony could develop a “Spider-Man”-adjacent universe based on side characters and villains.

    Tom Hardy will return as the journalist who joins with an alien symbiote.

    This is Serkis’ first time directing a superhero movie, though he has helmed feature films, including “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” and the drama “Breathe.”

    His expertise with performance-capture technology is one of the reasons Sony decided to give Serkis the job, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    Serkis celebrated the news on an Instagram post:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zBaSjB75t/

     

  • Andy Serkis, Travis Knight On Short List to Direct ‘Venom 2’

    Andy Serkis, Travis Knight On Short List to Direct ‘Venom 2’

    Netflix/Paramount

    “Venom” was an unexpected box office hit despite terrible reviews: Now the sequel is gearing up, with several names being mentioned to direct.

    Reportedly on Sony executives’ short list: Andy Serkis (“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle”), “Bumblebee,” director Travis Knight, and Rupert Wyatt (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

    Ruben Fleischer directed the first movie, but he’s busy on post-production for  “Zombieland 2: Double Tap.”

    Sony hopes to shoot the film in the fall.

    An untitled Marvel sequel is currently slated for October 2020 and fans are assuming it’s “Venom 2,” since the first film opened on October 5, 2018.

    “Venom” grossed a massive $855 million worldwide, making a sequel inevitable.

    The next film in Sony’s Spider-verse is “Morbius,” starring Jared Leto as the Living Vampire, which is due out next summer.

    [Via Variety]

  • Andy Serkis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster Will Star in ‘Mouse Guard’

    Andy Serkis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster Will Star in ‘Mouse Guard’

    Marvel/HBO

    Mo-cap king Andy Serkis is adding another cinematic creature to his repertoire: He’s just signed on to play the villain in “Mouse Guard,” based on the graphic novel series by David Petersen.

    It’s set in a medieval world where an order of mice protect the realm from enemies such as foxes and eagles.

    Thomas Brodie-Sangster will play Lieam, one of the Guard’s newest members who will be called upon to prove his bravery.

    Archaia

    The series from Archaia/Boom! Studios has been described as “Game of Thrones” with mice. It’s won two Eisner awards.

    Wes Ball, who directed the three “Maze Runner” films, will direct for Fox. Brodie-Sangster costarred in the YA series as idealistic Newt .

    It will be shot using motion-capture, with “Lord of the Rings” studio WETA providing the visual effects. Production is expected to begin in May.

    Matt Reeves (who directed Serkis as ape Caese via mo-cap in the recent “Planet of the Apes” films), is producing.

    Brodie-Sangster appeared in Seasons 3 and 4 of “Game of Thrones”  as Jojen Reed. And 16 years ago(!), he played Sam, the kid who makes a mad airport dash after his crush in “Love, Actually.”

    [Via THR]

  • Netflix Unveils New ‘Mowgli’ Trailer, Sets Theatrical Release Date

    Netflix Unveils New ‘Mowgli’ Trailer, Sets Theatrical Release Date

    Netflix

    “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” the new retelling of “The Jungle Book” from director Andy Serkis, will open in theaters before it begins streaming on Netflix.

    The movie will get a limited theatrical release starting Nov. 29 in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and London. It will then will then be available on Netflix from Dec. 7. After that, it will have an expanded theatrical release in the U.S. and U.K.

    “Mowgli” tells the story of a boy torn between two worlds,  who has never truly belonged in either the wilds of the jungle or the civilized world of man. Now, he must must navigate the inherent dangers of each on a journey to discover where he truly belongs.

    Serkis, who pioneered motion-capture acting as Gollum in “Lord of the Rings” and Caesar in “Planet of the Apes,” puts his experience to use in directing the motion-capture performances of a star-studded cast, including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Freida Pinto, Matthew Rhys and Naomie Harris.

    Netflix has previously adhered to a day-and-date policy, releasing feature films in theaters on the same day as the streaming premiere. But this year, the company has softened on that stance and is giving early theatrical releases to awards contenders like Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” and the Coen brothers’ “Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”

  • Andy Serkis’ ‘Mowgli’ Moves to Netflix for 2019 Release

    Andy Serkis’ ‘Mowgli’ Moves to Netflix for 2019 Release

    Mowgli
    Warner Bros.

    Change of plans!

    Warner Bros. had dated “Mowgli” for theatrical release on October 19 of this year. However the live-action/CGI “Jungle Book” movie will now stream sometime next year on Netflix.

    This … feels like a burn.

    Netflix picked up the worldwide rights to “Mowgli” in what was called the biggest acquisition of a finished film for the streamer to date.

    The film comes with a star-studded voice cast — Christian Bale as panther Bagheera, Cate Blanchett as snake Kaa, Benedict Cumberbatch as the tiger Shere Khan, Naomie Harris as wolf Nisha, and Andy Serkis himself as Baloo; with Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, and young Rohan Chand in human roles.

    However, Disney’s 2016 “The Jungle Book” was a big success, putting this Warner Bros. film in an awkward spot. As Deadline put it:

    This Netflix move helps Andy Serkis and Warner Bros. “get out from under the inevitable stigma that would have haunted a full scale theatrical release of a film that would inevitably be compared to Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book,’ which grossed $966 million worldwide. At one point, there was a race between that film and ‘Mowgli’ — both based on Kipling’s public domain work — but it is never good to be runner up, especially when the other one became such a big hit.”

    As The Hollywood Reporter put it:

    “Netflix has made a habit of acquiring films that perhaps studios preferred not to release theatrically. It paid Paramount more than $50 million for ‘The Cloverfield Paradox,’ which received dismal reviews but caused a splash when Netflix announced during the Super Bowl the film would be available for streaming after the game. Netflix also picked up Michael Pena’s sci-fi thriller ‘Extinction’ in February after Universal had removed it from the schedule without explanation months earlier.”

    Andy Serkis said he made “Mowgli” with 3D effects he still hopes will be shown off in the theatrical component of Netflix’s release plan. There are no details yet on that release plan.

    Here’s the “Mowgli” trailer:

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  • ‘Mowgli’ Trailer: Andy Serkis Tells a Darker Version of ‘The Jungle Book’

    Motion-capture master Andy Serkis is tackling a familiar subject with his next project, “Mowgli,” an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling novel “The Jungle Book.” But as the actor-director explains, his film will be decidedly different from the more lighthearted versions that most moviegoers know.

    The first trailer for the live-action/CGI hybrid is a visual feast, featuring impressive effects that bring the film’s animal cast to life. Those creatures are portrayed in painstaking detail thanks to motion-capture performances from some high-profile humans, including Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, and Serkis himself. And newcomer Rohan Chand is a standout as the titular mancub.

    As viewers can no doubt tell from the trailer, “Mowgli” isn’t Disney’s “Jungle Book” (neither the 1967 animated version, nor the 2016 CGI/live-action remake), differentiating itself by adhering more closely to the original Kipling source material. As Serkis notes of his flick in an accompanying featurette, “There’s no singing or dancing by the animals, that’s for sure.”

    Part of the director’s mission with “Mowgli” was to “shatter … preconceptions” about the story, Serkis said. Based on this first trailer, it looks like he’s well on his way to achieving that goal.

    “Mowgli” is due in theaters on October 19.

  • Oscars 2018 Nominations: Tiffany Haddish Was Robbed, But Won the Internet Anyway

    Oscar nod for her scene-stealing role in “Girls Trip,” but came up short when the nominations were announced on Tuesday morning. The snub was probably doubly disappointing for Haddish, since she was co-hosting the announcement press conference, alongside Andy Serkis. But the comedian’s hilarious commentary (and less-than-correct pronunciations of nominees’ names) throughout the presentation ensured that she still came out a winner.

    Haddish wasted no time in making an impression, striking a sultry pose after Academy president John Bailey handed over the mic. The actress clearly had a lot of fun with her duties, inserting quips and adding some extra flair to just about every line reading (a special shout-out to the way she said “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Call Me by Your Name,” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”).

    Mercifully, Haddish didn’t have to be the one to announce her own category snub, but she didn’t let her lack of a nomination spoil her good time, continuing on to banter with Serkis, play off the crowd, and completely mangle the names of the producers of “Call Me By Your Name.” As for Best Actor nominee Daniel Kallelujah Kahlua Kaluuya — well, as Haddish put it, “He know his name.”

    Though there were some naysayers, Haddish mostly won over the internet with her hilarious vamping and flubs. And even one of her pronunciation victims, Best Adapted Screenplay nominee Michael Weber, had nothing but love for the comedian.

    Check out the entire press conference below. And keep your fingers crossed that Haddish also makes an appearance on the Oscars telecast, too. Is it too late to just have her host?

    [h/t Time]

  • ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Director Explains Why (SPOILER) Had to Die

    WARNING: This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS about “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Proceed at your own risk.

    It wasn’t the most shocking death in “Star Wars” history, but the killing of a key character in the newest installment, “The Last Jedi,” wasn’t something that fans really expected, either. Now, writer-director Rian Johnson is spilling the beans about the reasoning behind that plot development.

    In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Johnson explained why he decided to off the sinister Supreme Leader Snoke (played in a motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis), during a showdown with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). The scene in question features Snoke urging Kylo to kill Rey and complete his transition to the Dark Side; instead, Kylo uses the Force to slice Rey’s lightsaber — sitting next to Snoke — clean through the Supreme Leader’s midsection, killing him in one swift motion.

    While the showdown certainly had echoes of Vader’s decision to kill the Emperor — who’s torturing Luke (Mark Hamill) — in “Return of the Jedi,” that twist came near the end of the movie, and the end of the original trilogy. So why get rid of Snoke now, before “Episode IX”?

    According to Johnson, it needed to happen sooner rather than later, in order to establish Kylo’s thirst for power. Right after he kills Snoke, Rey urges him to come with her to join the Resistance; but Kylo decides to take over the First Order instead, permanently severing ties with his mother, Leia (Carrie Fisher), as well as the Light Side.

    “By the end of this film, he’s gone from being a wannabe Vader to someone who is standing on his own feet as a complex villain taking the reins,” the director told EW.

    Mission accomplished. Now, we have to wait for “Episode IX” to know just how Kylo’s power play affects the rest of the galaxy.

    “The Last Jedi” is in theaters now (in case you weren’t one of the millions of people who saw it this weekend). “Episode IX” is slated for release on December 20, 2019.

    [via: Entertainment Weekly]

  • Why Woody Harrelson Goes Ape Over Andy Serkis

    Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson from War for the Planet of the Apes
    Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson from War for the Planet of the Apes

    No more monkey business.f In “War for the Planet of the Apes,” Woody Harrelson‘s ruthless Colonel will stop at nothing.

    “The Colonel is a guy who believes, maybe rightly or wrongly, the only way that humanity will survive is that if the apes don’t. So he is an enemy of the apes,” Harrelson tells Made in Hollywood reporter Patrik Stinson. “That really sets up this whole contest between Caesar and the colonel and his soldiers.”

    And what a contest it is. Taking place three years after “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes clash with an army of humans led by the The Colonel, forcing Caesar to wrestle with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.

    “An event happens at the beginning of the movie that sends him off,” explains Serkis. “He suffers a personal loss, and sends him off on a trajectory of hate and rage and revenge.”

    It’s a performance that had Harrelson blown away.

    “There’s times I would do a scene with him and I’d be like: What he does is so deep,” the actor says. “It’s the depth of feeling that really connects to an audience. And he goes deep.”

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