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Andy Serkis animates George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ for the big screen

Andy Serkis, well known for his captivating portrayal of The Lord of the Rings’ Gollum, is bringing George Orwell’s Animal Farm to the big screen. 

In a decade-long plan, Serkis finally has the green light to bring Orwell’s seminal 1945 novella Animal Farm to life.

Orwell’s timeless classic follows the story of a group of farm animals who uprise against their human farmer to start a rebellion in the hopes that it will create a civilisation where equality, freedom, and happiness are the mandate of the day. In time, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon, and the animals find themselves worse off than they were at the beginning. 

Andy Serkis
Credit: Getty Images

With Venom: Let There Be Carnage under his directorial belt, and a role as Alfred in the latest DC The Batman film, Serkis has clearly been a busy guy. 

In a new announcement, Serkis shared: 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,” Serkis said. “A tale not only for our times but for generations to come.”

Orwell’s satirical story is a well-known metaphor for the Russian political climate of 1917 and 1945, which upon release gained a lot of unwelcome attention from the CIA. It is said that in the early 1950s, shortly after Orwell’s death, the CIA secretly funded an animated adaptation of the story as part of an ongoing effort to support what they considered to be the anti-communist art and culture scene. Released in 1954, it was the first animated feature for adults in the UK. (note there were some major changes to the plot.) 

Serkis will no doubt stay true to the origins of the story and celebrate the novella for the genius that it is. 

Adam Nagle, Dave Rosenbaum, and Jonathan Cavendish are on board to produce. Nagle has named Andy a special talent: “Andy has had a special talent for creating unique and memorable characters during his remarkable career and we’re thrilled to be working with him, Jonathan and Cinesite to adapt Animal Farm for modern audiences. Ever since 1945, when George Orwell first published Animal Farm, the story has remained relevant and a key instrument in understanding how the world works”.

If you want to see more of our fav LOTR main man, you can catch Serkis in his role as Alfred in the latest DC The Batman film here.