A few weeks ago, we introduced you Andy Serkis mocking Vladimir Putin by imitating him with Gollum’s voice. And lately, Serkis has been talked about again, but not for his acting skills this time, but in his role as director.
a long-standing project
British filmmaker Andy Serkisknown for having recently realized Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), expected to return an all-new animated adaptation from one of George Orwell’s most iconic works.
As reported Deadlinethe production of an adaptation of Animal Farm, short novel published in 1945 by British writer George Orwell, is currently in development for Aniventure and The Imaginarium, a production company co-founded by Serkis. The latter then declared for the occasion:
The arduous journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen was finally rewarded with the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite. Together, we hope to make our version of Orwell’s still relevant masterpiece emotionally powerful, humorous and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but also for generations to come.
Serkis has expressed interest in an adaptation of Animal Farm since 2012. This is Nicholas Stoller, known for his work on Our Worst Neighbors (2014) and Storks and company (2016), which adapted Serkis’ film screenplay, long overdue and previously planned for Netflix. This adaptation will be produced by Cinesite, which last year celebrated its 30th anniversary as a world leader in animation and visual effects, which has already worked on major franchises such as James Bond, Avengers, or Harry Potter.
adaptation of a classic
Adam Nagle, one of the producers on Serkis’ next project, said:
Since 1945, when George Orwell first published Animal Farm, the story has remained relevant and is a key instrument for understanding how the world works. Andy has had a special talent for creating unique and memorable characters over his remarkable career and we are delighted to work with him. […] and Cinesite to adapt Animal Farm to today’s audience.
Published in 1945, Animal Farm is a short story that tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human owner, hoping to create a society where they can all be equal, free and happy. This work is both a dystopian fable but also a satirical allegory. Orwell, a democratic socialist and staunch opponent of totalitarianism, wrote this short story to reflect the events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the evolution of the Soviet Union with Stalin’s rise to power.
the Time Magazine listed him among the hundred best novels in the English language between 1923 and 2005and the work received the Hugo Award for best short novel in 1996. It has already been the subject of radio and theatrical adaptations. John Halas and Joy Batechelor made a film adaptation in 1954, and John Stephenson made it into a TV movie in 1999. Animal Farm had even been adapted into a video game a few years ago.
