‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ $22M Friday For Lower … 
Finally, Cannes Dealing! Radius-TWC Nabs Director’s … 
Hammond On Cannes: Wet Fest’s Official Competition … 
‘Vampire Academy’ Adds ‘Modern … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Shark Tank’ Finale Up, … 
Cannes: Worldview Options Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn … 
UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers 
‘Mike & Molly’ Creator Mark Roberts To … 
Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts Set For … 
Hammond On Cannes: Weinstein Brings Out Stars For 2013 … 
Cannes: Fake Gunshots Interrupt Canal Plus Live Broadcast … 
‘The Great Gatsby’ Starts With $5.4M … 
Cannes: Music Box Snags Competition’s ‘Michael … 
UPDATE: Amazon Studios Begins Pilot Pickups; … 
Bruce Rosenblum Bids Classy Goodbye 
RATINGS RAT RACE UPDATE: ‘American Idol’ Hits … 
UPDATE: ‘Iron Man 3′ Box Office Crosses $1B … 
Upfront Market: Will Auto Makers Subsidize TV … 
Cannes: Thief Makes Off With $1M+ In Chopard Jewelry Meant … 
‘Scandal’ Finale On Small Screen And Onstage At … 
‘Modern Family’ Gets Cable Makeover For Launch … 
UPDATE: Fox informs me that the studio will wage an Oscar campaign for Andy Serkis for Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
EXCLUSIVE: When Rise of the Planet of the Apes‘s $453 million worldwide gross was listed as a bright spot in the quarterly earnings of beleaguered NewsCorp, you know a sequel is a big 20th Century Fox priority. So who did the studio lock in first? No, it wasn’t James Franco or Freida Pinto. The studio just closed what I’m told is a healthy seven-figure deal for Andy Serkis to reprise his role as lead ape Caesar. Serkis had only signed on for one movie, so his reps had leverage in ensuring that he come back to continue leading the ape takeover in multiple future installments of the series.
Director Rupert Wyatt’s original deal came with a sequel option, so he’s locked. So are screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who are producing with Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark. The studio is still in the idea stage and the sequel hasn’t been dated for release. As for Franco and Pinto, those decisions will likely be made when the direction of the film crystallizes. The studio certainly has the leverage there; the clever construct of the first film ended with a wallop that makes everyone expendable.
In his quiet way, the chameleonic Serkis has proven to be a valuable commodity in three CG-driven franchises, and he’s being paid quite well for all of them. Serkis had no options for The Hobbit from The Lord of the Rings, and received a windfall payday to reprise his Gollum character in the two films. Serkis has wrapped his acting work on those films, but continues as Peter Jackson’s second unit director. Serkis does have an option deal for the sequel to the Steven Spielberg-directed The Adventures of Tin Tin, and will reprise as Captain Haddock in the sequel that Peter Jackson is scheduled to direct next year.
The big question is whether Fox should break ground and campaign for an Oscar for Serkis’s work in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. That notion was explored in the press when the film was released last summer. Serkis certainly lent a sense of humanity to Caesar and grounded the film. Academy voters haven’t yet paid much attention to actors behind CG performance capture creations, though. Serkis could have been nominated for his groundbreaking work in The Lord of the Rings, and was ignored. He’s repped by Lou Coulson in the UK and Principal Entertainment.
Loading ...
Serkis is a consummate badass.
More Apes, More Apes
Andy Serkis has carved out the most incredible career taking acting to the next level. And while everyone is talking about the motion capture stuff, don’t forget how great he was in movies like Longford and 13 Going on 30. Glad to see he’s being rewarded financially. Now let’s hope Oscar gets it right and nominates him too! Cant wait to see Tin Tin! Hear it’s amazing.
If Serkis is nominated then the animators that made his performance actually work should also share in that nomination. No one who has ever worked with Mo-Cap or who has ever seen un-assisted Mo-Cap believes that Serkis is responsible for anything other than just a guide for the performance.
This.
then by that logic, Robin Williams should have shared in the Oscar won by the makeup team for Mrs. Doubtfire…
Hey Schmuleyg.
you probably mean motion editors, not animators… but never mind…
Not quite right, Schmuleyg. Serkis isn’t hired to do simple “motion capture.” What he does is called Performance Capture, and involves all of the actor’s tools- vocal performance, physical movement, facial expression, etc. I give animators props for their work, but the performance belongs to Serkis.
You couldn’t be more wrong. All the credit in the world to the animators, but by your rationale we should be giving acting awards to make-up artists and directors, too. Serkis did a great job. The animators did a great job. Let’s leave it at that. No need to discredit someone at the expense of showing someone else respect.
+1!!
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome – Serkis is truly amazing actor and deserves every success. Just GIVE him the OSCAR ALREADY….. Did I say, it’s AWESOME…..
NOW for James Franco to sign on…. I do however, think that this website truly hate James Franco. When this movie first come out, EVERYONE expected this movie to fail BIG TIME (DON’T LIE) because of James Franco (to say I TOLD YOU SO), and why make it again.
NOW, that this movie is a masterful HIT (hey the connection between Serkins/Franco and Franco/dad worked brilliantly in particular), this website is doing everything possible to exclude him in the success. SORRY, he played his PART as did EVERYONE in the movie!
Yes, Serkins rules as GOD, when it comes to his performances (Remember, it’s ABOUT Apes – so I expected him to RULE, like in Transformers, it’s all about the ROBOTS) but Franco didn’t phone his performance him, he OWNED his performance too.
Anway, congrats to Serkins and now for FRANCO (heck, they need to make him pay for changing the WORLD in the movie).
I hope my comments stays up on this website (we have a strange relationship).
IMPORTANT: How long did it take for this website to show, how much MONEY Rise of the Planet of the Apes’s made, again $453 million worldwide PEOPLE, whether the person was in it for 2 minutes or the whole movie it still made SERIOUS MONEY….HELL YES!!!!!!!
Before, anyone says ANYTHING, no NOT A PLANT for James Franco, AGENT or anything else BUT happy there will be a 2nd movie…RESPECT (JAMES FRANCO TOO WILL WIN AN OSCAR ONE DAY, IF NOT MORE – Heck, why why, WHY he should have got it for 127 Hours, Milk, Howl, James Dean, Pineapple Express)!!!!!!!!!!
What struck me so much about the new APES was actually its humanity. Caesar’s almost noble rise to the front of the ape takeover — in several places stopping his fellow primates from violence — was in stark contrast to the downbeat, depressing original movies. Fox has a real opportunity here to do something different and, yes, superior to the old series, but the big question is whether to do a direct sequel with Franco coming back or move it along in time. I’d probably try and keep it as grounded as possible, as the last film was; no reason to rush the human apocalypse.
@Schmuleyg
WRONG. By your logic the people who created Heath Ledger’s prosthetic makeup, hairstyle and wardrobe for the Joker should have shared his nomination/Oscar. Good for Fox for standing up and recognizing that the brilliance of Ceasar was Serkis’ responsibility and these other aspects we’re talking about should be recognized in the VFX category. By trade, Serkis is an actor and he would not have taken this job if it didn’t represent an acting challenge — for that matter, a huge acting challenge when you actually think about what went on in this movie.
BTW this movie was INCREDIBLE — bravo to everyone involved. Even J. Franco.
You are wrong.
you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. 75% of Andy Serkins mo-cap wasn’t used. and the 25% used went through a long process of cleaning data that it was counter-productive to have mo-capped in the first place. Maybe you just can’t believe animators can be so refined in acting nowadays.
If Serkins wins an oscar for “his” performance will be hilarious. Serkins has done as much input on Ceaser (Gollum and King kong) performance as the catering crew did.
Have you ever seen anything edited? I work in TV: 75% of the footage winds up on the floor. We steal looks from the head or tail of the scene, construct moments that never happened, etc., etc., all in a day’s work.
No disrespect to the mo-cap folks. But improving and editing the actors’ performances is what post IS. New tools, same old game…
So true… many people dressed up like Heath LEdger’s Joker for Halloween but they were not him… GIVE SERKIS THE NOD!
[By your logic the people who created Heath Ledger’s prosthetic makeup, hairstyle and wardrobe for the Joker should have shared his nomination/Oscar.]
Well, makeup and costuming already HAVE their own categories… and the one for makeup only came along after a series of notable make-up jobs- INCLUDING the original POTA- finally convinced the Academy to take the field seriously.
“Mo-Cap” is clearly NOT going away, and this is as good a time as any for the Academy to deal with the issue.
As for whether Serkis deserves a nomination for ROTPOTA- show me a more powerful performance this year. Then show me four more.
People keep forgetting when they talk about Andy’s performance as a CG character, it is his acting that created it. The technology can fail to transfer Andy’s brilliance to the CG character, but it certainly did not fail in this film, so Caesar is Andy, and Captain Haddock is Andy.
And yes, Wets should be awarded for the amazing technology and achievements in VFX, but the industry should finally recognize the actors behind the mask (be it prosthetics/make-up or CG) and Andy should be considered for an Oscar.
We have seen him in King Kong, Apes, Tintin… how much much more does he need to do to be recognized.
@ INterested Observer
No. The fact that you think the work done by the VFX artists behind the performance of Caesar is the same as the work done by makeup artists proves you don’t know what you’re talking about.
So cartoon characters are going to get nominated for Oscars now? What a joke. And an insult to proper actors who have sweated blood and tears to get a nomination. I repeat – what a JOKE.
I Do Agree that this website HATES James Franco for some reason….. He got ZERO cred for the Success of APES and as a matter of fact in a down year, Planet Of The Apes pulling these kinds of numbers for such an old franchise should have received MUCH more attention than it did here. Nikki, we know you hate Ryan Kavanaugh as you should lol but why poor James? Serkis is great, but while he is getting nominated lets also nominate The entire cast of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Making turtles come to life lol
Andy Serkis’s best work has been as a puppeteer, not an actor, and should be treated as such when it comes to Oscar voting.
“Serkis could have been nominated for his groundbreaking work in The Lord of the Rings…”
Not for Fellowship or Two Towers. There is a rule that an actor has to actually appear on screen in order to be nominated for their performance. As a result, voice-over actors and CGI/mo-cap actors cannot be nominated. Serkis did appear as Smeagel (spelling?) in Return of the King, so he could have been nominated.
The real question is, should the Academy add categories for voice acting and mo-cap performances? Between Jim Carrey in Christmas Carol, Zoe Saldana in Avatar, and Serkis in just about everything he’s done (except perhaps 13 Going on 30) there is a case to be made for adding those categories.
During the post production of the three lord of the rings movies peter jackson and new line pictures campaigned to have mr. serkis’ performance nominated for an academy award for best supporting actor. but as mr. serkis didnt actually appear in person in the film, he was ineligible. the same thing can and will be said about Rise of the planet of the apes.
He absolutely deserves a nomination at least. His performance outshone every other person in that film. And NO it was not because of the cgi, it was the heart and soul of his character. He wad communicating with his body movements and facial expressions. I expected nothing from this film and left the theatre with it being my favorites of the entire summer. Proof that summer films don’t have to suck.
Interested Observer, that’s a far better comparison than I had and dead on. Pixar animators create performances in their characters, but these animators put a CG shell over a performer.
Kudos and Respect to Andy Serkis. Not only is he a superb actor, he’s an all-round good guy who fully deserves his success.
Great news! Amazing performance. By far the best summer movie. Really a surprise – beautifully executed.
Kudos to Serkis. But the real question behind this story for me is: who is the freaking moron at Fox who didn’t lock in options for sequels for Serkis??!
Somebody in Business Affairs should be fired right around now for that glaring omission. It’s like Contracts 101 when you’re dealing with a potential franchise with obvious sequels…
Wait a second- those apes were FAKE!?
Tintin.
Peter Jackson is going to direct a Tintin sequel next year? In 2012? Good luck with that. With principal photography not even ending on The Hobbit until midway through 2012, plus pick-ups, and overseeing editing, effects shots, scoring the film with Howard Shore…I’m not seeing it. I could see him doing it in early 2013, perhaps, before he has to work on post-production of the second Hobbit movie.
Unless of course he lets the quality of The Hobbit slip because he’s more interested in something else…but I doubt it. He stuck with each of the Rings films until practically the moment they had to be delivered to the studio.
Oh yeah, and Andy Serkis is definitely awesome. He probably won’t be in The Hobbit long enough to get a nomination for acting, but he certainly could for Apes.
Double good news: Serkis is locked in and Franco could be written OUT!
Even John Lithgow was bad, so it’s probably safe to put more of the blame on Rupert Wyatt. That said, it didn’t matter. I didn’t care about any of the humans and I didn’t care that I didn’t care about any of the humans. It was Caesar’s movie and Caesar was shockingly compelling.
No, no, no, they should be focusing on getting sequel 2 coming out soon within 1 year while it’s still hot, and fresh in the audience’s mind, cash in again with sequel 2! This is where they should be focusing , the MONEY!
I thought Andy Serkis was the lead actor in the film yet his name was the last in the credits. His performance was flawless and he deserves all the awards next year.
Serkis absolutely should be nominated. His performance is mesmerizing and compelling.
To dismiss [the horribly named] “mocap” / “performance capture” as being more about the visual effects than an actor’s performance is to exhibit profound ignorance of the process. The industry should more accurately refer to this system as DIGITAL PROSTHETICS. It’s the same as special effects make-up, except it’s applied remotely by digital artists instead of in person by make-up artists. And while those artists should be recognized for their outstanding, groundbreaking work, that should in no way diminish the achievement of the actor.
I said at the time that I saw this movie that I thought it was brilliant, and I honestly didn’t have an interest in seeing it until I saw the relationship between Caesar and Franco’s father, played by John Lithgow, who should ALSO be considered for an Oscar nomination in Supporting.
But as for Serkis getting a legitimate nod by the Academy? Highly doubtful, sorry to say. The Academy has a way of not playing nice when it comes to things like this. Remember, it took until 1991 for an animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture, and then they were able to do away with that notion for awhile by giving it it’s own category.
I would be less surprised by them giving him a special award for his work in the field, showcasing his talents for all his work, as opposed to just Rise.
But Rise is still an incredible movie, and honestly my choice for this Summer’s best.
sorry, I agree no more James Franco.