Andy Serkis’ long-gestating adaptation of Animal Farm is one step closer to being a reality. On Tuesday, it was announced that Serkis will be directing the long-awaited animated adaptation of George Orwell’s novel for Aniventure and The Imagiarium, with production currently underway at Cinesite. The film will be written by Nicholas Stoller (Storks, Captain Underpants), and will be produced by Adam Nagle (Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank), Dave Rosenbaum (Hitpig) and Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle). Matt Reeves, who previously worked with Serkis on The Batman and the Planet of the Apes movies, was attached as a producer when the project was previously picked up by Netflix in 2018, although it is unclear if he is still involved with the current incarnation. This will be Serkis’ latest film after helming last year’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
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“The challenging journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen has been finally rewarded by the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite,” Serkis said in a statement. “Together we hope to make our version of Orwell’s ever relevant masterpiece, emotionally powerful, humorous, and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but for generations to come.”
“Ever since 1945, when George Orwell first published Animal Farm, the story has remained relevant and a key instrument in understanding how the world works,” Nagle added. “Andy has had a special talent for creating unique and memorable characters during his remarkable career and we’re thrilled to be working with him, Jonathan and Cinesite to adapt Animal Farm for modern audiences.”
Animal Farm tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. Orwell’s source material is regarded to be one of the best satires of all time, and has been adapted for the stage and screen many times over the years. It also received two film adaptations — an animated film in 1954, and a live-action TV version in 1999.
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