Thomas Roach wonders whether Andy Serkis could be Marvel’s Doctor Strange…
By now you will have heard the news that actor Andy Serkis – best known for his motion capture roles in The Lord of the Rings and the rebooted Planet of the Apes will now have a role in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It had been announced during early stages of production that Serkis would be helping out Mark Ruffalo with the motion capture for the Hulk. However, recently that Serkis revealed in an interview that he was not only helping out Mark Ruffalo as a motion capture consultant, but that he will also have a role in the much anticipated sequel from Marvel Studios.
So fans have already begun speculating as to who Serkis will play and it is fair to assume that his role will be motion capture. The most popular theories include the motion capture for villains Ultron and Thanos (although Kevin Feige has since said that Josh Brolin performed the motion capture for Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy). Some people are speculating that he did the motion capture for the Iron Man Hulkbuster armour, which we’ve seen in early concept art. We will just have to wait and see. But it is important to remember that Serkis’ career is not limited to just motion capture. Maybe the motion capture could be part of his role, but it is worth considering that Serkis may have a bigger on-screen role in the film.
This is in no way confirmed, but could Andy Serkis actually be portraying Doctor Strange? Whilst some people may seem against the idea, just have a think about it. Serkis is the right age for Doctor Strange, he resembles him more so than other actors on the short list and he has a massive following of fans. In a recent interview Serkis revealed he got his role in Star Wars: Episode VII after J.J. Abrams saw the unedited footage from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. What Abrams saw was not the CGI ape but Andy Serkis doing the voice and facial expressions for the character. Whilst Serkis’ role in Star Wars is unknown, whether it’s live action or motion capture it would seem that directors are recognising the raw talent of Andy Serkis’ acting ability.
So whilst it may seem like a silly thing to speculate about Andy Serkis having a role outside motion capture in Age of Ultron, remember he is still an actor, and can act without the help of motion capture. Marvel and maybe even Star Wars may be giving Serkis the chance to do live-action roles but only time will tell. There are rumours that the actor for Doctor Strange will be revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in just a few days. Andy Serkis will likely be on the panel for Avengers: Age of Ultron and this could be the time when they reveal him as Doctor Strange. This is unlikely to be the case, but not as far-fetched as some may believe.
So do you think Andy Serkis could in fact be playing Doctor Strange? Or will he be performing motion capture, and if so, for which character?
Thomas Roach
Originally published July 21, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
