Peter Jackson has hired Andy Serkis to head up the second unit department of The Hobbit .
With shooting on the two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s tome underway, Heat Vision found out from Serkis himself that he’s taking up the camera as well as reprising his mo-cap role as Gollum.
“I think I understand Peter’s sensibility and we have a common history of understanding Middle Earth,” Serkis explains.
“A lot of the crew from The Lord Of The Rings was returning to work on The Hobbit . There is really a sense of Peter wanting people around him who totally understand the material and the work ethic.”
Despite having a lot of experience with motion capture (Serkis not only mo-capped Gollum, but also King Kong), Serkis says that his shooting responsibilities won’t be restricted to mo-cap segments of the films.
“It is wide ranging and encompasses a lot of directing aspects of filmmaking and story,” he reveals. “Yes, there is some performance capture, but I will be very much on the live action sets and locations helping Peter to tell the story.”
The Hobbit Part One opens December 2012.
