Just last April, director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) remarked that the adaptation of the Eisner Award-winning comic Mouse Guard would be his next big-screen project. News on that front was quiet since then, but today it's being reported that Andy Serkis (Planet of the Apes franchise) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones) are on board to lead the cast. Serkis' involvement should come as no surprise considering the adaptation is expected to take advantage of motion-capture performance, something for which Serkis has become the go-to guru. And Brodie-Sangster previously collaborated with Ball as the character Newt in the director's Maze Runner trilogy.

THR reports that Brodie-Sangster will star as "Lieam, one of the Guard’s newest and youngest members who will be called upon to prove his bravery", while Serkis will play Midnight, the weapons master and blacksmith for the Guard who has a big part to play in the story, as well. And while the overall story is set in a world of sentient animals where mice take up arms to protect civilians from predators like foxes, snakes, and eagles, and other enemies within the realm, there are no hard facts on just which of writer-illustrator David Petersen's stories Ball will be adapting.

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But the casting here may give us a clue in that regard. Early tales in Mouse Guard see the title team on the trail of a missing merchant when they discover a possible traitor in their midst. As the story progresses, they eventually learn of a full-on rebellion against the Guard. There's some exciting adventures to be had in the world of Mouse Guard, so here's hoping the first film is a big win that greenlights more of the story.

WETA will step in to provide visual effects work along the way with production expected to begin this May. Matt Reeves produces with Boom! Studios' Ross Richie and Stephen Christy, and Joe Hartwick Jr.

For more on Mouse Guard, be sure to get caught up with these previously posted articles linked below:

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