Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Andy Serkis and Iman Vellani about their work on ‘Animal Farm’, adapting George Orwell’s story and the changes they made, Vellani’s dual role, and putting together the all-star voice cast.
‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.
Moviefone: To begin with, Andy, can you talk about why you wanted to adapt George Orwell’s story and the changes you made to the source material?
Andy Serkis: It always entranced me, the book did from when I first read it on the bus going to school when I was about 12, and I knew, here was this book that was speaking about dark themes, and yet it was couched in this sort of innocence. That was one of the things that stuck with me and through the years, I realized I wanted to make a movie about it. When we were making the ‘Apes’ movies, I suddenly thought, there hasn’t been an adaptation of ‘Animal Farm’ for such a long time. So, it was originally going to be a motion capture and live action version. But animation retained its innocence and allowed us to go into the story for a much wider audience. When we were writing a script that really defined it, you know, in the book, the pigs are offstage characters, and the story is told objectively. So, we needed a protagonist, and I wanted to have it start with a young, innocent piglet who considered himself just one of the other animals, and then gradually, as the story progresses, he realizes that he’s being pulled in another direction that he thinks is right for everybody, but he’s been manipulated. So, the invention of that character, Lucky is new, but there are young piglets in the book from later, which become part of the story, but that was a choice. Then the other thing was, having a third act where there was some hope in a very otherwise bleak story, because this is really for a young audience to sit with their parents and grandparents and engage and actually just say, “Look, it may be difficult and there’s probably no answer because we always seem to get it wrong no matter how long we live on this planet, but we’ve got to keep trying.”
‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.
MF: Iman, were you familiar with the novella and what was it like voicing two different characters?
Iman Vellani: I was familiar with the book, but that was about it. I didn’t have to read it in school, so it wasn’t until they said they set up this meeting with Andy and they told me it was ‘Animal Farm’. I was like, “I haven’t read it,” and I was so glad it was a novella. I skimmed through it, and I was like, “Oh my god, this is really intense”. Then that final image was so haunting, and it really stuck with me. Then you are wondering how this is going to be a children’s book or adaptation? So, I came in with so many questions, but Andy was so generous with his time and made it so accessible for me to also insert myself in because we are reorienting it to a young person’s perspective. I think there’s so much power in a coming-of-age story because you get personal stakes. You’re following these characters, making decisions, calling out injustices, and having these moments of rebellion and that’s exactly what kids are dealing with today. They just need the impetus to do it and something to inspire them. If all you’re getting is negativity in the news, in school and through your parents, you don’t feel like you’re growing up in a world that’s going to have anything left to offer to you, right? So, then with Puff and Tammy, they were just so much fun to play. Puff was really the only character I played initially. We didn’t know about Tammy until a bit later. She just felt like a great addition because you could show that extreme version of her, someone who doesn’t question authorities, someone who just goes with the flow of whatever’s attractive and speaking the loudest. So, that was fun for me to play. I learned so much from Andy because this was my first-time doing voice work. So, I didn’t realize how much play and looseness would be involved.
‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.
MF: Finally, Andy, you cast some of the most recognizable voices in the industry in this movie including Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, and Kathleen Turner. Can you talk about putting together the voice cast?
AS: Well, obviously they had to quintessentially hit those characters immediately. With every member of the cast, from Woody Harrison to Jim Parsons, we were so blessed because everyone was so passionate about the source material and the book. We started talking to people many years ago and they stuck with it. They really wanted to tell this story because they were passionate about what it had. I think everyone just crystallized and each of the actors were perfect for their roles. We were so blessed and particularly with Iman having to do two characters, one of them thrown in much later. But it was wonderful to observe. So, we were very lucky, but it came from a lot of passion for the book and wanting to tell this story for a young modern audience.
‘Animal Farm’, directed by Andy Serkis. Photo: Angel Studios.
What is the plot of ‘Animal Farm’?
A satirical allegory of revolution and power that traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted. As the pigs consolidate control, truth is erased, dissent is crushed, and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship.
Writer/director Rian Johnson breathed fresh, sharply-written life into the mystery genre with 2019’s ‘Knives Out.’ And if ‘Glass Onion’ in 2022 was a seemingly lesser (if still entertaining) follow-up, it’s relief to report that third outing ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ has much more in common –– especially in terms of quality character work and central crime –– with the first movie.
Johnson had always intended to make more movies featuring quirky, charismatic sleuth Benoit Blanc and a healthy deal from Netflix means we now have the third.
‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is a considerable step up from the second film, rivalling the original for how it weaves and then unravels its mystery. Part of the advantage is keeping Craig’s Blanc out of the story initially to give the other characters time to breathe. He still gets plenty of superb moments, but the ensemble as a whole has the space it needs to work.
Johnson has also made a beautiful-looking film, using the gloomy upstate New York setting (albeit filmed in the UK) to really enhance the storytelling.
Craig is a natural as Blanc at this point, and the faith-wrangling storyline really gives him something to chew on. But praise also to Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Thomas Haden Church and Glenn Close in particular, who are all fantastic.
‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is certainly one of the best mystery movies to be released in the last couple of years, and happily stands alongside the first movie while nodding to its inspirations.
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ receives 87 out of 100.
What’s the story of ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’?
When young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews.
After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.
Who is in the cast of ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’?
Glenn Close and Billy Porter are the latest addition to the new ‘Hunger Games’ prequel.
Jhaleil Swaby is also aboard, playing the character of Panache.
Francis Lawrence is again directing the movie.
While the cameras are now rolling on the new ‘Hunger Games’ franchise entry, prequel offering ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, you might think that the stream of casting would dry up. You’d be mistaken!
Here’s ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ producer Nina Jacobson on Close’s casting:
“Glenn Close is a dream Drusilla. She brings so much of her intellect and imagination to each role, creating characters who are unforgettable and iconic. I think Glenn and Francis will have a ball bringing Drusilla from the page to the screen.”
And regarding Porter:
“Billy is one of those rare performers who can dazzle and devastate in equal measure on stage and screen. He made an indelible impression on me when we worked together on Pose, both as an actor and a human being. Casting this show has felt like winning the lottery every time one of our idols said yes to us.”
What’s the story of ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?
‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026. Photo: Lionsgate.
While the previous prequel took place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is set 24 years before that trio of Jennifer Lawrence films in the world of Panem, commencing on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Those games are an important event in the canon as the victor was Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark’s tie win. Haymitch continues on to become a mentor, a character in the original movies played by Woody Harrelson.
Who else has been cast in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?
(Left) Joseph Zada to star as Haymitch Abernathy in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo credit: Hugh Stewart. (Right) Whitney Peak to star as Lenore Dove Bard in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’. Photo: Kate Whyte.
The cast also includes Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak, who will play Haymitch Abernathy and the woman he loves, Lenore Dove Baird.
In addition to the two leads, we also now know that McKenna Grace, who has appeared in the recent ‘Ghostbusters’ movies, will be in the movie as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s fellow District 12 Tribute, while Jesse Plemons has the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, as brought to life by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original movies.
Finally, recent Academy Award winner Kieran Culkin is to play Caesar Flickerman (the eccentric host character played in the first film series by Stanley Tucci).
As for the new additions?
Close’s Sickle is the cruel escort to the District 12 Tributes, while Porter’s Stift is her estranged husband and the Tributes’ uninspired designer.
Swaby’s Panache, meanwhile is a crude and aggressive career tribute from District 1, known for his arrogance and ruthlessness.
‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’: Collins and the filmmakers talk
Director Francis Lawrence in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.
Here’s Suzanne Collins’ statement on the new book and movie:
“With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few… The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day. From the beginning, Lionsgate has been a wonderful home and partner for the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise, and I’m very excited to be collaborating with Adam and the team as we bring this next story to theaters in 2026.”
And here’s Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson:
“Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant. We know ‘Hunger Games’ fans worldwide will be spellbound by where Suzanne has focused this next extraordinary story. The Second Quarter Quell is legendary and looms large over the history of the Games, even into the time of Katniss Everdeen a quarter-century later. Like fans around the globe, we are eagerly anticipating this exciting return to Panem.”
When will ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ be in theaters?
Lionsgate will have the new movie in theaters on November 20th, 2026.
‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ opens in theaters on November 20, 2026.
Fans attend Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix.
Preview:
Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event took place on Saturday, May 30th at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
Netflix debuted new footage and trailers for TV shows like ‘Squid Game’, ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Wednesday’.
They also showed footage and trailers from upcoming movies like ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’, ‘Frankenstein’, ‘The RIP’ and ‘Happy Gilmore 2’.
Lady Gaga brought down the house with an incredible live performance.
Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event took place on Saturday, May 30th at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and was aired live on the streaming network at the same time.
The event featured the debut of new footage and trailers from popular TV shows like ‘Squid Game’ season 3, ‘Stranger Things’ season 5 and ‘Wednesday’ season 2, as well as a casting announcement for a fan favorite character joining ‘One Piece’.
Fans attend Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix.
(L to R) Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, and Choi Seung-hyun speak onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix.
Hosted by Sofia Carson, the show began with Pink Guards from ‘Squid Game’ taking the stage during a performance by Hanumankind.
Hanumankind performs onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix.
After the performance, Lee Jung-Jae and Lee Byung-hun, who play Player 456 and Front Man, respectively, arrived to present the season 3 trailer for ‘Squid Game’. They were joined on stage by fellow cast members Park Hae-soo and Kang Ae-shim.
Lee Byung-hun teased the new season as he introduced the trailer:
“I will try not to spoil anything, but we can tell you a few things. Gi-hun vows to put an end to the game, while the Front Man makes his next big move.”
Lee Jung-Jae added:
“But every game must end … and ‘Squid Game will shock the world one last time. We know you are all counting down the moment.”
uph8CDob
‘Squid Game’ season 3 premieres on Netflix June 27th.
(L to R) Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Cailee Spaeny, Mila Kunis, Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig, Kerry Washington and Daryl McCormack speak onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix.
Director Rian Johnson appeared to tease the third of his ‘Knives Out’ series of mysteries and walked on to the stage accompanied by a “Who done it” type mystery theme.
“I love a good surprise. This is the third Benoit Blanc movie that we’ve made and one thing that we strove to do with each one of them is to keep the audience guessing. It’s important for us to figure out new ways every time so just when you think you have it figured out, a new twist comes a long that you were not expecting. That’s what makes these movies special.”
Then, each member of the cast including Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, Kerry Washington and Jeremy Renner, came out one by one to one-up the previous co-star. Washington appeared with a T-shirt gun to entice the crowd, but not to be outdone, Renner then appeared with two T-shirt guns and received an extremely warn welcome from the fans.
(Left) Kerry Washington speaks onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix. (Right) Jeremy Renner speaks onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix.
Eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close sent a video from her car, and the actress dropped the F-word twice with her dog in the backseat. Finally, Daniel Craig made a surprise appearance and had this to say about the film.
“I have a bit of news to share with you all. We have an exclusive sneak peak of the movie. Would anybody like to see it?”
pVrPjjZK
With that, the teaser trailer for the new movie debut, which will premiere on Netflix December 12th.
(L to R) Jacob Romero, Mackenyu, IÒaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, and Taz Skylar speak onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix.
The cast of the popular series ‘One Piece’ including Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Gibson, and Taz Skylar appeared on stage to greet the fans. Based on the popular manga series, the first season has been watched by over a hundred million fans around the world.
Iñaki Godoy has this to say about the upcoming season.
“We just wrapped shooting season 2 in South Africa and let me tell you, things are only going to get bigger and better. We’re talking bigger worlds, bigger pirates, bigger adversaries, bigger food, bigger adventures, and bigger giants.”
Mikaela Hoover will voice Chopper in season 2 of ‘One Piece’. Photo: John Schnell/Netflix.
The cast also announced the addition of fan-favorite character Tony Tony Chopper, who will be voiced by actress Mikaela Hoover, and introduced first look footage of the character.
vIQLJfT2
The second season of ‘One Piece’ is set to premiere on Netflix in 2026.
(L to R) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon speak onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix.
The presentation for director Joe Carnahan’s new police thriller ‘The Rip’, which stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, began with a pre-recorded video of the two actors as their cop characters arresting ‘Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster for eating too many cookies.
(L to R) Cookie Monster, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon attend Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles on May 31, 2025. Photo: Adam Rose for Netflix.
“It’s great to be back together again on screen and we loved making this movie. It channels some of our all-time favorites like ‘Heat’ and ‘Training Day’.
In the film, Affleck and Damon play Miami cops who discover over 20 million dollars in cash hidden in a suspect’s house, which leads to distrust among their characters and the other police officers.
A new trailer for the film was shown to the audience at the Forum and during the broadcast but is not currently available online. Damon introduced the teaser trailer by saying:
“Netflix was not going to let us show you an exclusive first look at the film. In fact, the studio hasn’t even approved its release, so here is the first and I repeat only look at ‘The Rip’ coming to Netflix on January 16th, 2026.”
(L to R) Oscar Isaac, Guillermo del Toro, and Mia Goth speak onstage Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix.
Next up was visionary director Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ presentation, which began with a video message from actor Jacob Elordi who plays the monster.
“I recently had the great pleasure of playing the creature in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’. Guillermo is a real-life genius and I’m immensely grateful to be in the film. I’m proud of the work we all put into it.”
Guillermo del Toro himself, as well as actors Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth then took the stage to greet the fans and introduce the teaser trailer for the film.
“Thank you. I’m Guillermo del Toro. This is for me the culmination of a journey that has occupied most of my life. I first read Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ as a kid and saw Boris Karloff in what became for me an almost a religious state. Monsters have become my personal belief system. There are strands of Frankenstein throughout my films, ‘Cronos’, ‘Blade’, ‘Hellboy’, big time on ‘Pinocchio’, and a long, long, etc. Exploring the relationship between humanity and monsters, creator and creation, father and son, has consumed my stories again and again. I wanted to make this film even before I had a camera, and I have actively been pursuing it now for 25 years. It has grown so close to me that now it is my biography. Now, tonight here, finally, we can share it with you.”
(L to R) Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Rich Eisen speak onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix.
The highly anticipated ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ was up next, and the presentation began with a mock video including sports broadcasters and athletes like Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen, Bob Costas, Serena Williams, Travis Kelce, and John Cena talking about the legacy of Happy Gilmore as if he was a real person and golfer.
The stage was then set up like a sports broadcast with Rich Eisen interviewing Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, and of course, Adam Sandler. Several supporting cast members including Jon Lovitz and an actor dressed as Abraham Lincoln were in the audience and asked clearly scripted questions.
After that, Sandler had this to say before introducing the final trailer for the sequel.
“First of all, Mr. Lincoln, great job on everything. Netflix, thanks for everything. How about today? This was fun. I’m hoping we have a lot of these. Now I have a question for all you nice people out there. Would anyone like to see the trailer for our new film?”
(L to R) Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin and Finn Wolfhard speak onstage during Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Netflix.
One of the most popular TV series in the history of Netflix is coming to an end with the fifth and final season of ‘Stranger Things’. Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp appeared to discuss the experience of making the series and the upcoming final season.
They watched behind the scenes videos from the making of the first season and were joined by Gaten Matarazzo and Millie Bobby Brown via a prerecorded message.
Brown sad this to the audience:
“Hi TUDUM and ‘Stranger Things’ fans, its Millie Bobby Brown. Unfortunately, I can’t be there with you guys because I am filming ‘Enola Holmes 3’ right now in London. But I have so many memories. How could you possibly choose a favorite from four seasons?”
t28qCYUd
The three actors on stage then introduced a teaser for season 5, and announced that Volume 1 will premiere on November 26th, with Volume to on Christmas day, and the finale on New Year’s Eve.
(L to R) Luis Guzm·n, Joanna Lumley, Fred Armisen, Isaac Ordonez and Jenna Ortega attend Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Live Event at The Kia Forum on May 31, 2025 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Netflix.
“Hello TUDUM. We are so thrilled to be here with you tonight, and by thrilled, I mean quietly bracing for what ever fresh horror Netflix has planned. Truly though I want to thank you for the amazing reception to season one and embracing our world. It really means the most. Here is an exclusive sneak peek at season 2.”
uqYjn1dy
The footage revealed that Haley Joel Osment will appear in the new season, and it was also officially announced that Grammy winner and Oscar nominee Lady Gaga will have a guest starring role in season 2,
‘Wednesday’ season 2 is scheduled to be released in two parts on August 6th, and September 3rd.
J6dVmuhWePeMnUx2ujZsp
The big event ended with a three-song performance from Lady Gaga which included ‘Zombieboy’, ‘Abracadabra,’ and “Bloody Mary.’
Lady Gaga Is performing at Netflix Tudum 2025: The Live Event. Photo: Frank Lebon/Netflix.
List of Movies and TV Shows Presented at Netflix TUDUM 2025: The Big Event:
(Far Left) Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+. (Center Left) Kieran Culkin accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Center Right) Woody Harrelson as Marcus in director Bobby Farrelly’s ‘Champions,’ a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Focus Features. (Far Right) Steve Buscemi in ‘Boardwalk Empire’. Photo: HBO Entertainment.
Preview:
Seth Rogen, Glenn Close and more will lend their voices to ‘Animal Farm.’
Andy Serkis is in the director’s chair.
The movie adapts the classic George Orwell novel of authoritarianism.
In development for several years now, it would seem that Andy Serkis has quietly finished work on his adaptation of George Orwell classic ‘Animal Farm.’
BmxeSdQFL5dZVikMoV6c83
We’ve been hearing about this one on and off for a while now, with talk of performance capture and at least one cast list floating around.
Orwell’s 1945 novella tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon, the farm ends up in a far worse state than before.
The author –– who also touched on authoritarian metaphors with ‘1984,’ –– always said that ‘Animal Farm’ reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, a period when Russia lived under the Marxist–Leninist ideology of Joseph Stalin.
Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Barcelona May Days conflicts during the Spanish Civil War.
While Serkis’ ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ director Rupert Wyatt worked on an earlier draft, Nicholas Stoller, who has been responsible for movies such as ‘The Muppets,’ ‘Storks’ and ‘You’re Cordially Invited,’ wrote the actual shooting script.
Who is who in ‘Animal Farm’?
Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.
While not every cast member has a confirmed character, we do have a few details…
Rogen is voicing Napoleon, the pig who assumes command of the farm and ends up becoming a despot on four legs (and then two legs).
Culkin is on to be Squealer, a small, white, fat large white pig who serves as Napoleon’s second-in-command and minister of propaganda.
Serkis, meanwhile, is playing Benjamin, a donkey, one of the oldest, wisest animals on the farm, and one of the few who can read properly. He is skeptical, temperamental and cynical: his most frequent remark is, “Life will go on as it has always gone on –– that is, badly.” Many have pointed to Orwell adding something of himself to the character.
Here’s what Serkis has previously said about the project:
“The challenging journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen has been finally rewarded by the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite. Together we hope to make our version of Orwell’s ever relevant masterpiece, emotionally powerful, humorous, and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but for generations to come.”
Steve Buscemi attends the launch of the Sky Atlantic channel at the Sky pop-up venue on February 4, 2011 in London, England. Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images.
While Variety’s story makes no mention of a release date (and the movie’s connection to Netflix would not naturally scream theatrical), World of Reel is reporting, and the IMDb lists, a July 11th release for ‘Animal Farm.’
Of course, given the long history of this one, we’ll believe it when it’s in cinemas or on our screens some other way.
(L to R) Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’
(L to R) Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage star in ‘Brothers’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage about their work on ‘Brothers’, how the project came together, playing brothers, their relationship with their mother, working with the rest of the cast, and Brolin’s intimate scene with an Orangutan.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, Peter, can you talk about how this project came together and what it was like playing Josh Brolin’s brother?
Peter Dinklage: Well, we all created this mad world together. I mean, (screenwriter) Macon Blair, executed it, as in his brilliant way as he does, so it never felt like, you’re up for this next movie and here’s the screenplay. It was more organic than that, with Josh and me and Macon. So, I don’t remember sitting down and reading the screenplay for the first time. In a way, it just seeped into my DNA. So, Josh and I wanted to make a comedy, we wanted to play brothers, and we just had this somewhat flimsy idea of wanting to make this. Everything followed suit, which we were really shocked and surprised that people fell for it. Suddenly we have Glenn Close playing our mom. It was incredible. But I just loved making this movie. Let us entertain you and whatever madcap way it comes about, here we go. I love just breaking the rules of that normal, traditional process, what people think you need to do, the steps you need to take to make a movie. It’s not necessarily true. That’s how you get Glenn Close.
MF: Josh, can you talk about the dynamic between these two brothers and what was it like working on that relationship with Peter?
Josh Brolin: I mean, I think when we pitched this idea, we pitched it to several different places. Because Peter and I didn’t really know each other before, that dynamic and that volley started to surface while we were doing that. I think we were figuring out the movie as we were pitching the movie, even though we had a general base idea. I mean, it all came out of people saying, “God, you and Dinklage look alike. You guys should do a movie together. Look at how big your heads are.” Then, me calling Peter and saying, “Hey, do you want to do this thing?” He was like, “Yeah,” immediately. Then you go, “Okay. So, we have this blank canvas. What do we do?” You bring in Macon Blair and you start throwing around ideas and sitting around breakfast tables and saying, “What if it was this? What happened in your family that’s interesting?” What Macon was so good at is just there’s this umbrella of absurdity over it all. How absurd it is in the family dynamic. The family dynamic is absurd anyway, so what about those movies that used to really exploit that and that we grew up on? ‘Cannonball Run’, Peter mentioned earlier, or ‘48 HRS‘, or ‘Midnight Run’. Whether it’s family members or not, what is the absurdity of how we behave toward each other? I think that that’s what this spring-boarded from.
MF: Peter, can you talk about how the dynamic between these two brothers changes when their mother arrives and what it was like having Glenn Close play your mom?
PD: Glenn Close is a monster. I highly advise not getting anywhere within 20 yards of her. She’s one of the greats. It was insane to be finally working with her. I never knew it would happen, but I was kicking myself every day. I like the idea that Macon had of, I’m grifting Josh’s character just to get the family back together. I’m conning him. I’m pretending we’re going one direction, but it’s to get back to our mother, who we both love, but it’s a complicated relationship, as it is with most of our moms. But really, my character is sort of the glue that’s trying to put the family back together, which is lovely and sweet. But at the end of the day, he also wants to get something out of it. Get the riches. He’s got dollar signs in his eyes. He can’t help that. But it was so much fun making this movie. We were down in Atlanta for a couple of months during COVID, where everybody was masked except for the actors, so you play a game of, what does the lower half of people’s face look like? It’s like Bizarro when you finally see them without the mask. We all lived through that, and it was just fun in that time to make a comedy as zany as this with these incredible people. I think it was just such a soothing bomb to what we were all going through. You don’t want to make a movie about COVID during COVID. You want to make a movie like this.
MF: Josh, can you talk about your character’s relationship with his wife, and how his brother’s return and the journey they go on together jeopardizes his marriage?
JB: What it does is it challenges his loyalty to his family, which always comes up. In my own family, I think you spend time with your family and there’s irritations and you leave, and you go, “Okay. We had dinner together. I’m not going to do that again for two years if I can help it.” Yet two weeks later you’re back. You know what I mean? You can’t say no. There’s just something that is enmeshed that you can’t break. I think Jady knows that. When he comes and he has this manipulation with his mom and they get together to get Moke back on the team, because he’s the guy who’s the great safe-cracker, and it’s just once that innate thing happens, you can’t let go of it. It’s almost like an addiction. It’s a weird addiction factor with your family. I love watching that dynamic, especially between Peter and me.
MF Josh, there was one scene in this movie that I thought was one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a film in a longtime, and that was the scene where you appear with an Orangutan. Can you talk about shooting that sequence, and did you know right away that it would be so hilarious?
JB: I knew it was a winner when everybody read it. I know that everybody who read the script mentioned that scene. Again, it was the first scene that they all mentioned. It’s one of those things that you start to get nervous about doing it because if they love reading it so much, is this going to translate? But listen, we had fun with it and whatever it ended up being, it was 1000% conviction. For better or worse, we lent ourselves to what was written.
MF: Peter, you also have a very funny scene where you “rage dance” with Marisa Tomei. Was that scene improvised or in the script?
PD: The tone of this movie, it’s so crazy, that to have a traditional sex scene just seemed like to fly in the face of the rest of the movie. So, to have these oddball people, these prison pen-pals, dance to hardcore speed metal, that’s their most intimate moment. That’s their most intimate thing they can think of, it’s so Macon Blair, our writer, and me and Marisa, it’s just such in the spirit of the film to have that juxtaposed with the sexier scene of Josh and the Orangutan. Literally Marisa and I didn’t need an intimacy coordinator, they did, Josh and the Orangutan. You know what I’m saying? So, that’s the fun part of it.
MF: Finally, Peter, can you talk about the personal rivalry between Jady and Farful, and what was it like working with Brendan Fraser?
PD: One of the nicest human beings on this planet is Brendan Fraser. He had just come from the movie, ‘The Whale’, so I think he had to get something out of his system. He had to get off that couch and run around in Atlanta with us. You need a bad guy, and nothing better than a bad guy than a crooked cop trying to grift me, the anti-hero that is Jady. I think he screamed all his dialogue. I sort of was in scenes with him and he was so pitched at 11, there were times where I was like, “Is this going to work? Is this too much?” But that’s the genius of Brendan Fraser because it worked perfectly. He knew that, as an actor, and it’s always difficult to tell if it’s going to match the rest of the tone of the movie. Our movie is so all over the place tonally, that Max (Barbakow), our director, just made it all work. It was incredible. But Brendan is incredible. He’s so much fun to work with and he made it so much more fun, those scenes of torture and humiliation.
DjhnzqpuGIjvC2aQS19kb3
What is the plot of ‘Brothers’?
A reformed criminal’s (Josh Brolin) attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother (Peter Dinklage) on a road trip for the score of a lifetime. Dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother (Glenn Close) along the way, they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other.
Josh Brolin is the newest addition to ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’.
Rian Johnson is writing and directing.
Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny and Andrew Scott are already aboard.
The famous quote attributed to artist Andy Warhol runs, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” Based on the evidence of the last week, it could be modified to “everyone will have the chance to appear in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’”.
Because writer/director Rian Johnson has been on such a casting spree for the latest outing of canny detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) that it feels like half of Hollywood are involved in the new movie.
Christopher Plummer in ‘Knives Out’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Kicking off with the first, eponymous movie, the ‘Knives Out’ series began as Craig’s southern-fried investigator Blanc probed the secrets of the uptight, wealthy Thrombey clan after the mysterious death of patriarch Harlan (Christopher Plummer).
Travelling far from the chilly Massachusetts mansion of the original, ‘Glass Onion’ found Blanc headed overseas.
Edward Norton as Miles in ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’ Photo: Courtesy Netflix.
When tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise. And when someone turns up dead, who better than Blanc to peel back the layers of intrigue?
What will happen in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’?
Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc in Netflix’s ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’
As is befitting the new mystery, Johnson has yet to release any real details about the movie, so it’s a waiting game to see where Blanc ends up this time, and what he has to dig into.
It has only so far been described as his “most dangerous mystery yet.”
Who else will appear in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’?
When will ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ be on screens?
Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for the movie but given that Johnson is about to start he cameras rolling, we’d expect it to arrive in 2025. We’ll have to wait and see whether the company gives it a theatrical run (‘Glass Onion’ had a limited release before it hit the company’s servers).
(L to R) Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Janelle Monáe, and Daniel Craig in ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’
Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington and Mila Kunis are the latest additions to the third ‘Knives Out’ movie.
Rian Johnson is back to write and direct.
Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny and Andrew Scott are already aboard.
Rian Johnson is known for building big ensembles to star in his ‘Knives Out’ movies, and the third, ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is certainly keeping that tradition alive.
(L to R) Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson and Michael Shannon in ‘Knives Out’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Kicking off with the first, eponymous movie, the ‘Knives Out’ series began as Craig’s southern-fried investigator Blanc probed the secrets of the uptight, wealthy Thrombey clan after the mysterious death of patriarch Harlan (Christopher Plummer).
Travelling far from the chilly Massachusetts mansion of the original, ‘Glass Onion’ found Blanc headed overseas.
(L to R) Kathryn Hahn, Madelyn Cline, Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr., and Kate Hudson in Netflix’s ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.’
When tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites some of his nearest and dearest for a getaway on his private Greek island, it soon becomes clear that all is not perfect in paradise. And when someone turns up dead, who better than Blanc to peel back the layers of intrigue?
As is befitting the new mystery, Johnson has yet to release any real details about the movie, so it’s a waiting game to see where Blanc ends up this time, and what he has to dig into.
It has only so far been described as his “most dangerous mystery yet.”
Who else will appear in ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’?
(Left) Josh O’Connor attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘Challengers’ at Regency Village Theatre on April 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios. (Right) Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
While O’Connor, Spaeny, Scott and now Close, Renner, Kunis and Washington are confirmed cast members, there have been rumors about Tom Hardy and Lindsay Lohan being in talks for the movie.
And could Hugh Grant return as Phillip, Blanc’s husband, who we briefly see in ‘Glass Onion’?
When will ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ be on screens?
Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for the movie but given that Johnson is about to start he cameras rolling, we’d expect it to arrive in 2025. We’ll have to wait and see whether the company gives it a theatrical run (‘Glass Onion’ had a limited release before it hit the company’s servers).
Best Picture nominees ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Promising Young Woman,’ ‘Sound of Metal,’ ‘Mank,’ ‘Minari,’ ‘Trial of the Chicago 7,’ & ‘The Father’
Early in the morning on March 15th, Nick Jonas and Prianka Chopra-Jonas announced the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards. Here are the nominees for this years’ awards:
BEST PICTURE
‘The Father’
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘Nomadland’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
DIRECTOR
Thomas Vinterberg, ‘Another Round’
David Fincher, ‘Mank’
Lee Isaac Chung, ‘Minari’
Chloe Zhao, ‘Nomadland’
Emerald Fennell, ‘Promising Young Woman’
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Riz Ahmed, ‘Sound of Metal’
Chadwick Boseman, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’
Gary Oldman, ‘Mank’
Steven Yeun, ‘Minari’
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Viola Davis, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Andra Day, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
Vanessa Kirby, ‘Pieces of a Woman’
Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’
Carey Mulligan, ‘Promising Young Woman’
Sacha Baron Cohen, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Leslie Odom Jr., ‘One Night in Miami’
Paul Raci, ‘Sound of Metal’
Lakeith Stanfield, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
‘Onward’
‘Over the Moon’
‘A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’
‘Soul’
‘Wolfwalkers’
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
‘Borat Subsequent MovieFilm’
‘The Father’
‘Nomadland’
‘One Night in Miami’
‘The White Tiger’
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Minari’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
‘Another Round’ – Denmark
‘Better Days’ – Hong Kong
‘Collective’ – Romania
‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’ – Tunisia
‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
‘The Father’
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
‘Mank’
‘News of the World’
‘Tenet’
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Erik Messerschmidt, ‘Mank’
Dariusz Wolski, ‘News of the World’
Joshua James Richards, ‘Nomadland’
Phedon Papamichael , ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Burrow’
‘Genius Loci’
‘If Anything Happens I Love You’
‘Opera’
‘Yes-People’
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
‘Colette’
‘A Concerto Is a Conversation’
‘Do Not Split’
‘Hunger Ward’
‘A Love Song For Latasha’
ORIGINAL SONG
‘Fight For You’ from ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Hear My Voice’ from ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Husavik’ from ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’
‘lo Sì (Seen)’ from ‘The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)’
‘Speak Now’ from ‘One Night in Miami…’
ORIGINAL SCORE
‘Da 5 Bloods’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘News of the World’
‘Soul’
Delayed by the pandemic, the Oscars ceremony will be on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.
The upcoming film “Four Good Days” has nabbed two high-profile leading ladies.
Glenn Close and Mila Kunis will star in the drama from director Rodrigo Garcia, Deadline reports. Garcia wrote the script with Pulizter Prize winner Eli Saslow. The story is based on a substance abuse-focused article Saslow wrote for The Washington Post.
Close and Kunis will play Deb and Molly, respectively, a mother and daughter dealing with Molly’s substance abuse problems. It follows them as they work through four critical days of Molly’s recovery after a long estrangement. It will reopen old wounds and give them a chance to move forward.
Both actresses have starred in notable projects in the past. Close, a seven-time Academy Award nominee, most recently starred in “The Wife” and the comedy “Father Figures.” Kunis is fresh off of a voice role in “Wonder Park” and has previously starred in “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” “Bad Moms,” and “Black Swan.”
“Four Good Days” is set to begin production in September in Los Angeles. Garcia, Jon Avnet, and Jake Avnet are set to produce through Indigenous Media alongside Oakhurst Entertainment’s Marina Grasic and Jai Khanna. Productivity Media and Capstone Group are executive producing.
