Motion capture maestro Andy Serkis does not rule out a return to the Planet of the Apes in Disney’s upcoming reboot. Serkis, who excelled in the role of ape-leader Caesar throughout director Matt Reeves recent Planet of the Apes prequel series, was recently asked whether he would be open to playing a new character in the continuing franchise, to which he replied that he would certainly consider it.
“Gosh. Look, I love that universe, and playing Caesar throughout those three films was an amazing part of my life. So I suppose it all comes down to story and character. If it was an amazing story and an amazing script, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down without thinking about it seriously. I’ll put it that way.”
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Of course, Andy Serkis stipulates that he would need to know the details of both the story and the character first (these entitled actors and their ridiculous demands, eh), but the fact that he does not shut down a potential return to the franchise is an exciting idea. While Serkis played the role of Caesar in the likes of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and finally 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, thanks to motion capture, the actor could appear as, well, anything really. Depending on the direction of the Disney movies, Serkis could perhaps even appear in human form, something which he likes to do here and there.
Hardly anything has been revealed about Disney’s Planet of the Apes reboot, but we do know that Maze Runner director Wes Ball will helm the project, with the filmmaker since revealing that the movie will be part reboot/part sequel. “We have a take. We have a way of staying in the universe that was created before us, but we’re also opening ourselves up in being able to do some really cool new stuff,” he said. “Again, I’m trying to be careful here. I’ll say this, for fans of the original three don’t worry – you’re in good hands.”
One way that Disney and Ball hope to achieve this is through hiring some of the creatives behind Matt Reeves’ prequel trilogy. “The original writers and producers that came up with Rise and Dawn, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, they’re also on board with this,” Ball continued. “Josh Friedman is writing this thing, a lot of the same crew is kind of involved. We will feel like we’re part of that original trilogy, but at the same time we’re able to do some really cool new stuff. It will be really exciting to see on the biggest screen possible.”
As for Andy Serkis, he has been very busy since departing the Planet of the Apes. He has stepped behind the camera for Sony’s comic book movie sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and will soon sport a moustache and advise Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne on all things crime-fighting in The Batman as faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth, which sees Serkis team-up once again with director Matt Reeves. This comes to us courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.
Topics: Planet of the Apes, Disney
