Andy Serkis Making Series About The World’s Creepiest Statues
Andy Serkis is preparing to create a new, self-described punk series about the creepiest bunch of statues ever made.
This article is more than 2 years old
Andy Serkis has forged a remarkable career by being unconventional. He shot to superstardom pioneering motion-capture performances as Gollum in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy before taking the technology to new heights with his iconic portrayal of Caesar in the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy. Now Serkis is taking a step away from motion capture performing to create a new series about the world’s creepiest statues. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis has created and will serve as director and showrunner on Madame!, a period series depicting the life of Marie Tussaud, founder of Madame Tussaud’s wax-work museum.
Andy Serkis’ production house Imaginarium will produce Madame! along with Marie Guillaumond of Felicita Films’. Newen Connect will handle the financing of Madame! and international distribution. Madame! will chart the journey Marie Tussaud, (born in 1761 in Strasbourg, France) took from flourishing during the time of political and societal change in the French Revolution to fleeing from the horrific French Reign of Terror that followed, before settling in London to continue her art in the early 19th century. Tussaud’s life is definitely worth retelling and Any Serkis is clearly excited to be the one behind bringing the story to life. “This is no straight up period drama, it is a hilariously crazy, no holds barred, anarchic, punk caper conjured from the curiously twisted mind of a fabulously post-truth executioner’s daughter!,” said Serkis. “Marie knows one thing very clearly — if you’re going to tell your own life story, make it entertaining, even if you have to make it up, and whatever happens, cut out the boring bits.”
Many will know Andy Serkis as being a world-renowned actor, especially for the aforementioned roles of Gollum and Caesar. However, Madame! isn’t the first time that Serkis has stepped behind the camera to help bring a story to life. Just last year, Andy Serkis directed Venom: Let there be Carnage and is aiming to return for its sequel. Prior to Venom: Let there be Carnage, Serkis directed Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. Serkis’ Imaginarium production house also has a whole slate of television projects including Fungus the Bogeyman for Sky, Death and Nightingales for the BBC and even has a Netflix series on the way dubbed The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself. It is unknown at this time which television network or streamer Madame! will land at when it is finally ready for distribution.
Madame Tussaud’s Waxwork museum has grown into a global franchise in the present day, with six sites in America, eight sites in Europe, nine in Asia, and a site each in The Middle East and Australia. The waxwork museums are known for incredibly accurate depictions of celebrities, popular fiction characters and iconic figures throughout history, both cultural and political. Given that Andy Serkis has a keen eye for incredible storytelling, evident in his body of work thus far, it would come as no surprise if Madame! offers a unique insight into how this sprawling franchise of museums began with the maverick entrepreneur and artist that is Marie Tussaud. Before audiences can see what Serkis has created in Madame!, fans can see him in the upcoming feature film adaptation of the popular crime series Luther, starring Idris Elba. The actor was most recently seen on the big screen in Matt Reeves’ comic-book adaptation The Batman, where he portrayed Bruce Wayne’s butler and guardian, Alfred Pennyworth.
