Andy Serkis nets fairy tale 'Steelskin'
Motion capture expert Andy Serkis has his second feature film nailed down, with a retelling of European folk tale Rumplestiltskin to be modernized under the title "Steelskin."
The actor gained international recognition for the way that Gollum, J. R. R. Tolkien's withered treasure-hunting creature, was portrayed in the first part of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, almost a full 15 years ago.
By the time of Jackson's sequel trilogy, "The Hobbit," Serkis had made appearances in over 40 films, TV series, and video games, set up his own motion capture studio in London, and accrued enough experience to become a second unit director for all three "Hobbit" films.
And though his first film as a director isn't set for release until October 2017, Warner Bros.' anticipated special-effects spectacular "Jungle Book: Origins," confidence in the 51-year-old is high enough for 20th Century Fox to snag him in "Steelskin."
In fact, Serkis will be fulfilling not one but three key roles on board the updated fairy story, according to The Tracking Board.
As well as directing, he'll also be one of its producers, and in the title role.
It remains to be seen how closely the new project sticks to the childhood tale made famous by the Brothers Grimm, but Oscar-nominated scribe Hossein Amini is providing the script.
Amini received his Academy Award nod for "The Wings of the Dove," a 1902 Henry James novel whose 1997 adaptation co-starred Helena Bonham Carter ("Alice in Wonderland," "Suffragette").
More recently, he was acclaimed for "Drive," the 2011 Nicolas Winding Refn film that further cemented Ryan Gosling's star status, and then made his own feature debut directing Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac in thriller "The Two Faces of January."
In terms of international reach, the prospects are good, at least in terms of the familiarity of Rumplestiltskin's narrative template.
The story about a cunning little man who can transform straw into gold has national equivalents around the world -- not only in Europe but also the Middle East, South America, and even Japan.
And with Serkis already so well received as Gollum, perhaps it's time to see what other impish tricks he has up his sleeve.
Andy Serkis can next be seen as Supreme Leader Snoke in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"; Amini's international thriller "Our Kind of Traitor" is to star Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård, and Naomie Harris for a May 2016 release.
