As the war against the use of AI in Hollywood productions rages on, the controversial tech gained another ally recently in Andy Serkis, the director behind the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie, The Hunt for Gollum, who calls it “another form of magic.” Serkis is also known for portraying the titular character in the franchise through the use of motion capture, another technological advancement that he says has taken a long time for actors to embrace.
Serkis’ comments come after an appearance on a panel at the UK’s Labour Party conference in Liverpool (via Deadline), where he was on hand to discuss the pros and cons of AI. While many have rallied against the advancement of its use in movies, Serkis believes those hesitations are rooted in fear. He calls it a “misunderstood” tool, much the same way the internet was before it became a part of our everyday lives.
“It is another form of magic that is frightening people. Even the biggest VFX companies are not creating as great things as individuals in their basements. It is much misunderstood, much maligned and lumped together in the same way that people probably felt the internet was going to destroy everyone’s lives.”
That being said, Serkis also believes – like many others – that AI poses a threat to the livelihood of actors if it’s not regulated in some manner. While he likens the technology to motion capture in the sense that it will most likely take a long time for people to get used to it, he called for fair compensation for performers whose likenesses are used in the generation of AI content.
“It’s taken a long time for actors to even understand what it is to put on a costume or make-up but stand in a [special] suit and do essentially what you do [normally], which is act. We need the permissions to be there so you are able in some way to monetize these artists’ [work] in a proper way.”
Andy Serkis Teases New AI Project
Nearly a decade after the conclusion of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2003, Serkis founded The Imaginarium Studios along with producer Jonathan Cavendish. Dedicated to furthering motion capture technology to create believable characters, the studio will now turn its attention to AI in order to explore everything it has to offer. First on the docket is a project that Serkis teases as having a “narrative driven story” that begins with 2D animation before moving into an “AR [augmented reality] world” featuring AI characters.
Those characters, he says, are “authored by artists and directors” to maintain some sense of humanity. Of course, with Serkis exploring the use of AI ahead of production on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, it begs the question: Will he look to incorporate the so-called invasive tech into the film? Long known for its use of CGI under the direction of Peter Jackson, this is Serkis’ playground now, so the possibility is certainly there. For his part, Jackson – who remains a producer on the movie – is not adverse to the technology, as he employed it himself in his 2021 docuseries The Beatles: Get Back.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out, but with Serkis so willing to dip his toes into the waters of AI, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it was used in some form or fashion to help craft the next Lord of the Rings movie. Whether or not that will have a negative impact on its release is anyone’s guess at this point, as that remains pure conjecture right now. We’ll have more details on the production as it moves forward, and inches ever closer to its 2026 release date.
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