Andy Serkis' using AI-powered de-aging in his new Lord of the Rings movie

Let’s be honest: the words 'AI' and 'blockbuster film' in the same sentence are enough to set most fans’ teeth on edge these days. You only have to glance at Reddit or a few review sites to see how quickly audiences start sharpening their pitchforks whenever technology looks like it might be encroaching on the stuff they care about. Enter Andy Serkis – yes, that Andy Serkis, the man behind Gollum, Caesar the ape, and about half the memorable pixels of the last twenty years – who’s busy prepping another trip to Middle-earth with his upcoming Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum. And, surprise: he’s not shying away from talking about AI on his set. But, as ever with Serkis, things are a bit more nuanced than the headlines make out.

Serkis Leaning into the AI Conversation

Rather than ducking the issue, Serkis is speaking pretty openly about his use of AI in this new Tolkien spin-off. He’s keen, though, to reassure people that he’s not suddenly handing over half the film to the machines. His view? If you give AI the right guidance (his words: 'if we teach AI well'), it could turn out to be a decent assistant across loads of industries, not just film. However, he’s blunt about its limits: there’s no way, at least for now, that AI can touch what he calls an 'authored performance' – the sort you get from old-school motion capture.

Motion Capture Evangelist (and Oscars Campaigner)

If anyone’s in a position to comment here, it’s Serkis. He’s been at the forefront of mo-cap ever since he first donned the dots and suit for Gollum. Cast your mind back to Planet of the Apes, or any behind-the-scenes footage of Lord of the Rings – half the time he looks like he’s wandered in from a futuristic fitness class. For ages, he’s been making the case that the Academy Awards should recognise motion-capture acting in the main acting categories, not as some technical side-show. According to Serkis, there’s no difference between an actor with prosthetic makeup and one covered in reflective dots: 'When you act with someone who is wearing dots instead of prosthetic makeup, they’re still creating the character.'

Where’s AI Fitting Into The Hunt for Gollum?

So, what’s actually happening with AI behind the scenes on The Hunt for Gollum? In a nutshell: Serkis says it’s there, but only as a tool for a bit of digital de-ageing. No rogue CGI armies or AI-generated scenes. Here’s how he puts it: 'Not at present, other than some of the de-aging. There’s a little bit of de-aging for some of the characters and machine learning is part of the process.' And if you’re getting déjà vu, that’s because Peter Jackson was already dabbling in digital wizardry over twenty years ago with the original films – remember MASSIVE, the program that let thousands of orcs appear to fight their own little battles all at once? That was, in its own way, an early brush with AI.

According to Serkis, though, it's not about letting technology run rampant. As he tells it, every shot in the new film is being created the traditional way, and he’s actually trying to bring back a mix of practical effects – miniatures, prosthetics, and so on – precisely because that’s what he thinks makes this sort of thing magic. He won’t say exactly which characters are getting the digital facelift, but there’s a definite effort to ensure it’s a support act, not the star of the show.

• AI’s job in the new film: Just de-aging a couple of characters, nothing more.
• Serkis’s stance: Still pushing for proper recognition of motion-capture acting, and firmly believes AI can’t replace the detail and spontaneity of real performers.
• Classic practical effects: Old-school tricks like miniatures and prosthetic work are back in play, rather than letting AI handle everything.

Future-Proofing vs. Losing the Human Touch

In the bigger picture, Serkis reckons you can’t simply have AI writing scripts or constructing characters from start to finish. He does grant that for minor, prompted moments, the tech can hold its own. But when it comes to the full sweep of a performance, with all the unpredictable choices actors make, he’s pretty certain AI’s not about to replace anyone’s Oscar campaign just yet.

'So I don’t think you’ll be able to replace performance… not as yet. For small prompted moments, I think it stands up. But the whole notion of a script, from a to z, page one to 120 and the minutiae of actors' decisions that author their characters, I don’t believe that that could be completely replaced.'