Andy Serkis… What have you done!?
Andy Serkis has a blunt explanation for giving George Orwell’s grim fable Animal Farm a happy ending: “We’re living in such a difficult time.”
In a new interview, the director and Lord of the Rings star defended his controversial animated adaptation, which adds an entirely new third act where virtuous animals rise up and win.
Serkis told USA Today that with “oppressive regimes globally” and “a world without truth,” he wanted hope for younger viewers.
“History will inevitably repeat itself,” he said, “but we wanted the next generation to at least question what they should do next time.”
Serkis also scrubbed much of the original violence for a PG rating, arguing Orwell “was writing with children in mind.”
The film, featuring Seth Rogen, Kieran Culkin, and Glenn Close, arrives May 1st.
Serkis welcomes the backlash, saying Orwell would have wanted debate.
“If you don’t agree with me, that’s not a problem,” he said, “but think about it differently.”
