Andy Serkis talks about playing Gollum in LOTR and directing Tom Hardy’s Venom sequel

Andy Serkis, who is directing Venom: Let There be Carnage compares Venom, his anti-hero protagonist with Gollum, a role he played in the Lord of the Rings film series, in a video shared by Apple TV recently.

“I’ve spent a considerable amount of my life playing characters with two sides to his personality and there is common ground here. The digital characters have to seriously act, they've got to be believable,” said the director, in a video titled Exclusive Trailer 2. 

Serkis has been an actor for over two decades now and he is renowned for his acting roles while in motion capture suits. One such character he brought to life using this technology is Gollum. Much like Venom, Gollum was a character that had two faces and two personalities. Serkis has a great knowledge and understanding of creature performances, making him an apt fit for director.

Venom appeared first as an antagonist in Spiderman 3, but in 2018, the sentient alien symbiote got its solo film and there was also talks about Sony planning on Venom being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but this never materialised. The film upon its release received generally poor reviews but ended up as one of the highest grossers of the year. 

The sequel of Venom is readying for a release and will once again follow the life of Eddie Brock, played by Tom Hardy. The film will see Brock find his paths crossed with Cleetus Kasady played by Woody Harrelson, a serial killer, who later becomes Carnage. 

Venom: Let There be Carnage also features Michelle Williams, Naomi Harris, Ried Scott and Steven Graham among others and is set to premiere on September 15.