Andy Serkis is an excellent live-action actor, but when the guy behind Gollum and Caesar is cast in the new Star Wars movie, it’s hard not to assume he’s on board to play a motion capture character.  There have been rumors floating around regarding who Serkis is portraying in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but at this point, the only confirmed detail we have is that he’s the man behind the voiceover in the new teaser trailer.  Who is he exactly?  Which side is he fighting for?  We don’t know for sure, but even if we did, that might not confirm Serkis' full involvement in the film.

A new report just surfaced claiming that Serkis is playing not one, but multiple characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  Hit the jump for more.

According to Jedi News (via Screen Rant), Serkis has two roles in the film.  One is motion capture based and puts him in a “group of unbelievably athletic and acrobatic motion capture characters.”  Apparently Pip Andersen and Crystal Clarke are also part of that group.  According to Andersen’s website, he was chosen from the 67,000 performers who came out for an 11-city casting call.  The site also dubs him a Parkour expert and professional freerunner.  It doesn't seem like Clarke's got any stunt or motion capture experience, but you can see her in the new Sean McNamara film, The Moon and the Sun, in April 2015.

In addition to this athletic and acrobatic character, it’s also being reported that Serkis has a second role and it’s a “pivotal role in the first act story arc that entwines with Daisy Ridley's backstory."  Jedi News’ source also adds that this role “may have more to it than it seems in the first instance.”

Clearly this one belongs in the rumor pile, but it does seem like a very logical use of Serkis’ skills.  He's portraying a live-action character and also helped out with some of the motion capture work for Avengers: Age of Ultron, so why not pull double duty here as well?