Earlier today, we reported that Andy Serkis might be playing a motion-capture character in Star Wars: Episode VII. Embedded in the actor’s comments about his role in that wildly anticipated blockbuster was another interesting tidbit about another much buzzed-about project.
Talkimg with Variety, Serkis spoke about a part he has in next summer’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, thanks partially to his performance capture studio The Imaginarium:
“The Imaginarium is the performance capture consultant, and I’m playing a role [in both ‘Star Wars: Episode 7’ and ‘The Avengers: Age Of Ultron’]. On ‘The Avengers,’ I’ve been working closely with Mark Ruffalo. I’m not at liberty to mention [the role]. But it’s all the same to me. I’ve never drawn a distinction when playing a role, whether it be live action or performance capture. Acting is acting. It’s just basically what you wear to the set that’s different.”
Those comments left a certain degree of uncertainty. Was Serkis playing a new character in Avengers: Age of Ultron or simply working with Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk, to help hone that actor’s work? Hitfix’s Drew McWeeny attempted to clear things up by going to a source he has on the movie and asking about Serkis, and though he was unable to figure out what exactly the actor is doing, McWeeny did learn a few things.
Firstly, Serkis is only playing one character in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and those working on the movie are still keeping the identity of that character under wraps. Secondly, he’s not playing any of the characters announced for the blockbuster thus far, and he’s also not doing motion-capture for James Spader’s Ultron – that actor is handling his own mo-cap.
Regardless of how he turns up in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Serkis’s involvement can only aid the Joss Whedon-helmed Marvel entry. I’m convinced that Serkis is one of the most potent secret weapons available to studios today – and his involvement in the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and now Avengers franchises just proves that Hollywood fully understands the actor’s brilliance as well.
