Andy Serkis Talks Motion Capture In Star Wars: Episode VII

Andy Serkis is the undeniable master of motion and performance-capture. His roles in films like The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, The Adventures of Tintin and Rise of the Planet of the Apes helped define the new art form, and his company, The Imaginarium, is the world’s premiere performance-capture studio. So, when he was announced as part of Star Wars: Episode VII‘s new cast, we wondered immediately if he would be taking his mo-cap talents to a galaxy far, far away.

In a new interview with Sci-Fi Now, Serkis spoke up about the motion-capture that will be used in Episode VII, and briefly mentioned his role in the highly anticipated film:

“It’s extraordinary. I grew up with Star Wars and was a massive fan of the original films. I never imagined in a million years that I’d be engaging with this. It’s just come about so organically.

J.J. Abrams and I met, and we just had this incredible kind of vibe between us. He said, ‘You’d fit really well in this universe,’ and I said, ‘I think I probably could.’ We’re working very closely, as I say, in two ways: The Imaginarium is providing all of the performance characters, and I myself am playing a character in it.

I’m thrilled, deeply excited. Sitting at that read-through that other day was just extraordinary. It was an amazing event; being with the original cast was just incredible. I just think the script is so wonderful, and both the old and the newbies in the cast are just so thrilled and excited to get together.”

Let’s break this down, shall we? First off, it’s great to hear that The Imaginarium will be working on all the motion-capture for the film. They may be a new studio (founded in 2011), but their work in projects like Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has been phenomenal. Serkis alone is the best at what he does, which is why he’s been approached for several films, like Avengers: Age of Ultron, to offer his expertise. Plus, this is just another sign that Abrams is taking a bit more care with the special effects on this film than George Lucas did with the prequel trilogy, and that’s definitely a good thing.

Now, what about his role? He of course didn’t specify whether or not he’d be playing a mo-capped character or someone in live-action; but would J.J. Abrams hire the person who’s best at what he does, and ask him not to do it? It seems unlikely, but Serkis has had many great roles outside of the mo-cap suit that people tend to forget about, so there’s definitely a chance that he’s just helping out with the film’s motion-capture but not donning the cumbersome suit and face dots himself.

What do you think? Would you like to see Andy Serkis play a character, creature, or alien via motion-capture in Star Wars: Episode VII? Sound off in the comments below.