Serkis (left) played Gollum in two of the Lord of the Rings films
British actor Andy Serkis - Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films - will help create the title character in Peter Jackson's upcoming remake of King Kong.
The ape will be a completely computer-generated creature, but Serkis' acting will be used to bring it to life through motion capture technology.
The 40-year-old has also been cast in the human role of Lumpy the cook.
"It will be weird seeing Andy out of his Gollum gimp suit," Jackson said. "I hope we can both make the adjustment.
"I expect this time round will be a very different experience for both Andy and myself as we'll actually get to shoot extended drama sequences together."
Serkis was heavily involved in the creation of warped hobbit Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
He provided the voice of the character, while his facial and bodily movements were mapped on computer.
But he only appeared in the flesh at the beginning of the third installment, The Return of the King.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jackson - who won a best director Oscar for The Return of the King - has denied using Serkis as a model for Kong will "humanise" the creature.
"While Andy will provide very valuable onset reference, this doesn't mean we will be softening Kong," he said.
"The power of the story lies in the fact that this is a savage beast from a hostile environment, and we don't intend to compromise that."
Team work
King Kong is scheduled to begin shooting in New Zealand in August.
In addition to Serkis, the film will also feature Australian actress Naomi Watts, School of Rock star Jack Black and Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody.
Jackson will be reunited with many members of the Lord of the Rings crew, including co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, composer Howard Shore and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie.
The film - a remake of the 1933 monster classic - will be released in December 2005.
Empire magazine recently voted King Kong the most terrifying movie monster of all time.
Published: 2004/06/11 09:16:38 GMT
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I like how Gollum was portrayed in LoTR; there was plenty of Andy Serkis in him.
When I heard Jackson's next project was King Kong, I was leery, as I'm not a big fan of the King Kong story/films.
I'm liking too, the high caliber of talent that Jackson has assembled for the cast. I've only seen Watts in a couple of things and am not real sure about--do I or don't I like her. Black is adorable--he needs another High Fidelity though, and Brody is an Oscar-winning Lead Actor, so it's looking good so far.
I've only seen her in "The Ring." It didn't do much for me, but I'm curious to see more of what she can do. I haven't written her off or anything.
Posted by: Cyn | June 16, 2004 at 02:56 AM
you haven't seen naomi watts in her oscar nominated role? or mulholland drive? i am sorry because you have missed the actress some critics have proclaimed the best actress in the business today.
Posted by: john | June 16, 2004 at 01:49 AM