When you think of classic books you read in school, one that pops up the most is the 1945 novella Animal Farm by George Orwell, and now that dystopian tale is getting an animated adaptation. According to Deadline, Andy Serkis will be directing the animated film for Aniventure and his company The Imaginarium. The screenplay will be written by Nick Stoller, who will also produce the film with Adam Nagle.
For anyone who has not read the book, the story follows “a group of farm animals who rebel against their human owner, in hopes of creating a society where they can be equal, free and happy.” It is a story that is still very relevant to our world today, and the book was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels published between 1923 and 2005. Animal Farm also won Orwell a Retrospective Hugo Award.
When talking about the adaptation, Serkis said, “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...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.”
Nagle added to that, saying, “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.” He finished off praising Serkis, saying, “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.”
Even though Animal Farm has been adapted countless times for every imaginable medium, hearing that Serkis is behind the camera for this particular adaptation is very exciting. While Serkis is best known for his acting roles in blockbusters like Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, Black Panther, and The Batman, in the last handful of years, he has become quite the director. Films like Breathe, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage have shown off Serkis’ talent as a director. Given Serkis’ motion capture background, it will be interesting to see what kind of animation style the director will go with for this film.
Whatever the case may be, this Animal Farm adaptation is shaping up to be an animated film to be on the lookout for. Besides Serkis, Stoller has also been a successful screenwriter for the animated format, penning the screenplays for hit films like Storks and Captain Underpants.