Serkis defends Animal Farm flop and Lord of the Rings casting
Director Andy Serkis has pushed back against poor US box office returns and scathing reviews for his animated Animal Farm, while defending the lack of diversity in his upcoming Lord of the Rings film.
Andy Serkis is bringing his animated adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm to UK cinemas this Friday. It arrives following a disappointing $5.5m opening in the United States against an estimated $35m budget.
The film represents a significant financial gamble that has so far failed to translate into American ticket sales. Serkis attributes the poor performance to a polarised reaction to the trailer, which he claims generated 60 million hits and sparked ideological arguments before audiences actually saw the feature.
Critics have been harsh, with the New York Times calling the film "lost in the mud" and "drowning in ideological confusion", while the Wall Street Journal argued it "mucks up Orwell". Serkis deliberately shifted the allegory away from its original anti-communist roots to target modern autocracies, adding a new protagonist and a happy ending.
Unlike the 1954 British animated adaptation, which was covertly funded by the CIA to battle communism through culture, Serkis categorically states his version received no such backing. He dismissed the negative reviews, noting the film was made in close collaboration with the Orwell estate and arguing Orwell himself would have approved of its broad appeal.
Beyond the farmyard, Serkis is currently in New Zealand directing and starring in The Hunt for Gollum, scheduled for a Christmas release next year. The film explores the psychology of Gollum and the ring's origin, sitting between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies.
The Tolkien project has already drawn public scrutiny over its overwhelmingly white cast, including Jamie Dornan, Anna Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, and returning stars Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellan. Serkis rejected the idea of casting to satisfy diversity quotas, citing Tolkien’s Norse mythology influences and the insular nature of The Shire.
"We don't think we will be doing a politically correct just-casting-for-the sake-of-casting-and-ticking-boxes version of the film," he said. "So, it's only where relevant basically."
Serkis confirmed he will not direct a second planned Tolkien film, Shadow of the Past, which is being written by US chat show host Stephen Colbert. He remains focused on his current production, leaving the debate over his creative and commercial choices to the audience.
