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Andy Serkis Talks The Batman, His Role as Alfred

Published Sun, 10 May 2020 18:15:25 -0500

Last updated Mon, 11 May 2020 08:00:01 -0500

Following the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy is a daunting task, but Matt Reeves is up for the challenge in The Batman. Andy Serkis, who plays Bruce Wayne's faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth, promises the latest entry will be "darker" than previous entries of the Batman franchise. The British actor and director spoke to LADbible and teased what to expect in the first post-Ben Affleck Batman DC Extended Universe film. "It's very much about the emotional connection between Alfred and Bruce," Serkis said. "That's really at the center of it. And it is a really exquisite script that Matt [Reeves] has written." He follows other British screen legends in Michael Caine for Nolan's trilogy, Michael Gough for the Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher films, and Jeremy Irons from the previous DCEU films.

Andy Serkis at the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" Premiere at the TCL Chinese Theater IMAX on July 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, CA. Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Andy Serkis Defines His Alfred Voice for The Batman

"He [Caine] was fantastic," Serkis said. "His Alfred was legendary. I couldn't even begin to go there, really. You find it for yourself. It's like playing these iconic roles in Shakespeare, you go back, you revisit them and you have to make it your own, and see what it is about the character that connects with you and your personal Venn diagram." He kept busy pulling double duty in the editing process while directing Venom: Let There Be Carnage and in the middle of performing for The Batman at the same time as productions starting shuttering due to the quarantine. "I was literally halfway through shooting my part in it when we got shut down," he said. "So it will be interesting to see when that resurfaces how it has been affected by it [lockdown], but it is, it's going to be a beautiful film."

Robert Pattinson as The Batman. Image Courtesy of Warner Bros

Serkis became in high demand following his groundbreaking performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The character actor's versatility in motion capture and live-action led to memorable roles as Caesar in the modern remakes of the Planet of the Apes films, Ulysses Klaue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Snoke in the Star Wars sequels. Co-written by Mattson Tomlin, The Batman also stars Robert Pattinson, Colin Ferrell, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, Peter Sarsgaard, and John Turturro. The Warner Bros film slated to hit theaters on October 2021.