Andy Serkis has had a busy 2022 this year with supporting roles as Alfred in Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman” and inmate Kino Loy in “Andor,” airing on Disney+ now. But thanks to those gigs, Serkis had to leave behind some other projects he was involved in, like the “Venom” franchise, which he directed the second installment of last year. After news last week that “Venom” writer/producer Kelly Marcel would take over directing duties for “Venom 3,” it’s clear Serkis is out of that franchise. But did Sony push him out?
On the new episode of The Playlist’s “The Rogue Ones” podcast, Serkis explained his departure had more to do with his busy schedule than anything else. “I felt like I was the custodian of Venom at a really interesting time and I really loved my time on it,” Serkis said, “but, yeah, the other projects that I’d already sort of had lined up – I had to get back to them, because they take so long to bring into the world.” Such is the nature of production in Hollywood, and it’s not surprising to hear that someone as talented as Serkis has projects lined up years in advance.
And Serkis has a lot on his plate for the next couple of years. Alongside reprising his role as Alfred in a sequel to “The Batman” (and possibly Kino Loy in “Andor” Season Two), Serkis has further acting and directing duties. He’s shooting the “Luther” movie with Idris Elba now and has an adaptation of George Orwell‘s “Animal Farm” on deck as director. Plus, he’s an executive producer for a TV series adaptation of the British teen novel “Half Bad.” So, yeah, Serkis is a busy guy right now.
And does Serkis have any updates about Matt Reeves’ sequel to “The Batman”? “That’s difficult to answer,” said Serkis, “but whatever happens, Matt Reeves is a genius storyteller and he always goes for the emotional heart of a story, and that was what I was so proud of was here was a relationship between Bruce and Alfred. That felt kind of emotionally powerful and connected and had so many undercurrents. To get to play that with Rob [Pattinson] – he’s such a good actor. So, I just hope there’s more of that. Plus maybe [Alfred] not getting injured so much next time.” Warner Bros. announced a sequel to “The Batman” at CinemaCon in April, with Reeves and Pattinson set to return, and it’s a safe bet Serkis will, too.
But who knows when Pattinson and Serkis will reunite as Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth? Matt Reeves has grand plans for his take on Gotham City that involves a bunch of limited series spinoffs for HBO Max. The only one confirmed right now is “The Penguin” with Colin Farrell reprising his role as Oswald Cobblepot. But there’s also a show about Arkham Asylum in the works, one about the Gotham Central Police Department that may or may not be in development hell, and possibly others. So, with all of those HBO Max spinoffs, don’t expect a sequel to “The Batman” for at least a few years.
But Serkis sounds busy enough that the stacked schedule of Reeves’ “The Batman” franchise won’t faze him. Check the actor out in “Andor” now, with three episodes of its first season left to premiere on Disney+.
