Latest news with #AndySerkis
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Austitic teenager from Sanquhar dreams of big screen career
An autistic teenager from the south of Scotland is hoping to pursue a career in filmmaking after picking up a prize for his Ryan, 14, from Sanquhar, won the audience award at the recent Into Film event in received his honour from actor Andy Serkis and presenter Edith told BBC Scotland News he hoped to turn his passion for movie-making into a job in later life. Edward was born in Inverness and grew up in Forres but has lived in Sanquhar for almost a organisers of the awards described them as "celebration of talent" but also a "clear statement of intent".They said they wanted to show that the UK film industry "values, nurtures and believes in the voices of the next generation".Among those voices is Edward's. "I'd always loved making and building with Lego when I was younger and I wanted to make these Lego people and characters and things come to life," he said."So I then started to make stop-motion animations with these Lego characters and buildings and things like that, make little movies with them."Then I would then progress my skills with that and then get different equipment and better equipment."The Sanquhar Academy pupil was given a laptop by the local council for his school work which he started to use for making films and it has "progressed and progressed" from award-winning film - More Than One Way To Go Home - tells the story of a young autistic girl who has to find her own way home when her brother leaves her to fend for herself. He said winning the prize for his work was a special moment."It felt great, it was just overwhelming with all the support that I got from loads of people voting me for this award."It was just great. I am still in shock that I won."All the support from my community of Sanquhar, it's just been absolutely brilliant and I'm so grateful for all of it."It has fuelled his passion to pursue a life in cinema after he finishes his education. "I really want to go into the industry and hopefully become a director of photography," he said."That's my dream goal. So I'm hopefully just going to stick in and then go to college and university and just work my way up until I'm a director of photography and do what I want to do."His mother Jess said the whole family was "incredibly proud" of what Edward has achieved."He was a nominee in the best story category as well and even though he didn't win that prize it was still just an incredible achievement to be chosen," she said."That was a new category this year that the judges chose out of all the films that were entered."So it was an honour to know that he was chosen to be part of the best story category up against other filmmakers that were 18 or 19 years old.""We're just really, really proud of him and very thankful for the support the community gave him." She said the fact that he was autistic made it all the more remarkable."He's obviously had to overcome a lot of different challenges in his day to day life," she said."Filmmaking has been a way for him to express himself in ways that he has otherwise found difficult."It's been a really good outlet for him." She said she believed he could go further in the field where he has already started to thrive."We just feel proud and we just hope that he can continue on and achieve his goals and his dreams of one day being a director of photography," she said."I don't see why he can't, to be honest, he's got his sights set on the big screen."He's got a lot of hard work ahead of him, but he seems really enthusiastic for it."
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Batman 2 Gets Long-Awaited Update From Matt Reeves
After months of rumors, Matt Reeves has taken to social media to share an update on that will no doubt have fans excited. In a recent post on X, Reeves shared a photo of the now-finished script for The Batman Part II. In the background, he can be seen sitting next to Mattson Tomlin, who worked on script revisions on the original film, and who Reeves calls his partner in crime in the post. The post comes after months of rumors and reports on when Reeves would eventually finish the script for the highly anticipated movie. With the script now done, production can move forward on the sequel to the 2022 film. Check out the post below: The development of The Batman Part II has been a long one. The original film was released three years ago in 2022 and was a massive hit. Starring Pattinson as the titular hero, the film made over $770 million at the box office. Much of what we can expect from The Batman Part II remains clouded in mystery. Likewise, its status in the larger DCU is also a mystery as of now. Speaking to Rolling Stone in a recent interview, James Gunn was asked if there was still a 'non-zero' chance that Matt Reeves' Batman franchise will one day be in the DC Universe. Gunn revealed that the chances of it are 'not likely,' but wouldn't say for sure whether it would never appear. Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell are among the actors expected to return for The Batman Part II, reprising their respective roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Alfred Pennyworth, and Oz Cobb/Penguin from The Batman. Reeves has not disclosed who Pattinson's Caped Crusader will be facing off against in the sequel, although everyone from Two-Face and Clayface to Hush and the Court of Owls has been rumored.
Geek Tyrant
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Matt Reeves Confirms THE BATMAN: PART II Script Is Finished — GeekTyrant
It's been a long and winding road, but The Batman: Part II is finally making progress in a very real and exciting way. Director Matt Reeves has confirmed that the script for the highly anticipated sequel is done. He shared the news with a photo on X, showing himself and co-writer Mattson Tomlin on a couch with the finished screenplay resting on the table in front of them. Reeves captioned the image, 'Partners in Crime (Fighters.' After some fans have expressed their frustration with the development cycle, this moment should be a small sigh of relief for them. Ever since the sequel was announced back in April 2022, The Batman: Part II has faced more delays. James Gunn, now co-head of DC Studios, previously addressed fans' concerns, explaining that the holdup stemmed from the script still being in the works. 'Be patient,' he urged, backing Reeves and his creative process. Now that patience is paying off. The Batman: Part II is currently scheduled to hit theaters in October 2027. If everything stays on track, production is expected to begin next year, likely after Robert Pattinson wraps Dune: Messiah . Pattinson will return as Bruce Wayne, and we can probably expect Andy Serkis as Alfred and Colin Farrell's Penguin to resurface. While Gunn has described the film as 'really important' to DC's future, it exists outside of the mainline DCU continuity under the 'Elseworlds' label. That means it can keep its own tone, cast, and worldbuilding without having to mesh with upcoming DCU projects like The Brave and the Bold , which will introduce a new Batman entirely. Gunn knows the two versions will need to be distinct, and Reeves has more than proven he can carve out something unique. Now that the script is finished, the next step is likely approval from Gunn. We don't yet know who the new villain will be, but Reeves has teased something unexpected, someone that will 'surprise' fans. Considering the chilling presence of Paul Dano's Riddler in the first film, that's a high bar to clear. But Reeves has shown with The Batman and The Penguin series that he understands Gotham on a deep level. There's still a long way to go, but the Bat-symbol on a table, promising that this story will continue.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Animation, Writers & Actors Guilds Hold 'Historic' Anti-Generative AI Protest At Annecy: 'GenAI Seeks Not To Support Artists, But To Destroy Them'
Representatives of international animation, screenwriters and actors guilds staged a protest at the Annecy Animation Film Festival on Thursday to voice their fears over the implications of generative AI for their professions and human creativity in general. Around 150 people joined them on the stretch of grass known as Le Paquier in front of the festival's key hub of the Bonlieu National Theater, holding guild flags and banners expressing their rejection of AI. More from Deadline Warner & DC Studios Making 'Mister Miracle' Animated Series With Showrunner Tom King 'Animal Farm' Review: Andy Serkis Directs Seth Rogen And All-Star Voice Cast In Clever And Chilling Take On Orwell's Classic Novella – Annecy Animation Festival 'In Your Dreams' Trailer: Netflix Unveils Animated Comedy Adventure With Craig Robinson & Simu Liu In Voice Cast AI and generative AI is a hot button topic at Annecy this year. Many animation professionals are wary about what AI means for their creativity, skills and livelihoods, while a small but growing group is advocating for the sector to embrace the technology. Belgian-based director, storyboard, layout and background artist Lauri Sanders, who heads up the AI task force at Belgium's animation workers union ABRACA, read out a statement laying out their concerns and demands. Read the full transcript below. 'Generative AI is neither a tool, nor effective, nor cheap. It is a copying machine that is flawed, destructive and expensive to run. GenAI literally builds upon and draws not only from the copyrighted works it was trained on, but also from the local human cultural values and norms embedded within those works,' read one extract. (scroll down for full statement) It has been signed by more than 20 guilds representing creative professions including the UK's Bectu, Ireland's video game org GWUI and animation workers union AWI, America's The Animation Guild, Netherlands' Kunstenbond and a number of French bodies including writers' bodies La Guilde and Syndicat des Scénaristes and animation union SPIAC-CGT. As well as raising the alarm over the threat posed by unchecked generative AI, the statement also makes demands around consent in relation to work being used to train Generative AI, compensation and control for artists over how their work is then used. Thursday's protest and the statement were spearheaded by France's Les Intervalles, the association against abuse and discrimination in animation. French actor and animator Milo Hustache-Mathieu and SPIAC-CGT member told the assembled crowd that the protest marked an 'historic' event. 'Having a such a coalition right now takes us so high. The whole sector is in crisis and AI is looming over our heads. It's amazing that, thanks to Les Intervalles, we managed to gather that many associations, unions and organizations from all the around the world,' he said, calling on other bodies to sign up too. 'This danger of generative AI shows the bonds between workers internationally, even if we're all in different countries and can't negotiate the same things. We need to bond together. Let's keep up the fight.' Speakers from crowd included UK hand-drawn animation specialist and influencer Howard Wimshurst who said the gathering was an important step. 'What we see here with these flags represents something essential. It is not the solution but without it we have no hope and that is solidarity,' he said. 'This year, I've seen a lot of films. Luckily there are less AI entries which is good because it means I have to walk out less times but there are panels where you'll hear people get up on stage and say things like, it's just a tool, we need to use it, otherwise we'll be left behind. 'There are speakers here who want to collect their thirty pieces of silver and they will turn on friends they've known for years and decades and it's really sad. Don't listen to them. They also want to dazzle you with this idea, that it's all about the technology. 'The technology is a vehicle for exploitation. It's a vehicle to extract data that people have worked their entire lives to create, they put everything into that data. It's not just data. Data is such a reductive word, but unfortunately that is how it can be exploited. So don't listen to them.' Here's the full statement: This statement was composed and supported by a collective of international Animation Unions, federations, and organisations calling for action in regards to the usage of generative Artificial Intelligence and its destructive impact, not only on the global animation industry and the craft itself, but also on everyone who is employed by it, our culture and our is an undeniable fact that the animation industry has been suffering greatly these last few years. The economics of streaming have been proven to be not at all lucrative and the increased spending during the pandemic led to the unavoidable burst of the streaming bubble. It is the workers that were staffed up with false promises that are feeling the repercussions through mass layoffs, the increased use of outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions that lead to the closure of studios and ever decreasing echoes across multiple audiovisual entertainment industries and affects workers in animation, music, VFX and the gaming rapid expansion of Generative AI in animation is propelled by the perceived beliefs that it is the answer to these developments. To work in these industries is a constant battle to prove our economic worth to a very small number of people, and to those people genAI brings an offer too good to be true: a near magical machine that can produce words and images from a simple and vague AI is neither a tool, nor effective, nor cheap. It is a copying machine that is flawed, destructive and expensive to run. GenAI literally builds upon and draws not only from the copyrighted works it was trained on, but also from the local human cultural values and norms embedded within those works. It poses an immediate threat to creative innovation and renewal, replacing the richness and diversity that characterize human creativity with a creativity shaped by the biases of those controlling and using it. It actively pushes creatives out of their respective industries, which will not only lead to the inevitable loss of knowledge and talent that will never be recuperated fully, but also directly leads to the privatisation of allart process and is a technology that seeks not to support artists, but to destroy them. The absence of humans is a feature, not a bug, of AI art. It is not a tool. We do not 'use' genAi – we negotiate with it to try and make it do the things we want it to do. GenAI promises only the loss of employment and livelihood for the millions of people worldwide that work at keeping the world connected through their the audiovisual industry is not the only victim of this increasingly damaging tech development. This same technology is being used to foster dissent, confusion and distrust among the public and has wide-ranging implications beyond international security, including the fabrication of criminal evidence and news, new forms of sexual harassment including deepfake pornography and/or privacy computational power required to train and use generative AI models demands a staggering amount of electricity and water which directly strains municipal water supplies and disrupts local ecosystems. This unchecked growth and unjustified techno-optimism comes with incredible environmental consequences, including expanding demand for computing power, larger carbon footprints, shifts in patterns of electricity demands and an accelerated depletion of natural resources, additionally exploiting without any respect for human such, there is a need for protection frameworks around the ethical and fair use of AI. For this we refer to the research brief of the International Labour Organization (ILO) which proposes the concept of '3Cs' (compensation, control on the use of the work of the creator, informed consent), but also for policies, nationally and internationally, to manage workforce transition through skills development, as well as the use of social protection to support workers affected by A reasonable balance between on the one hand technological innovation and on the other hand a sustainable and strong cultural and creative sector, requires that training AI with copyright-protected works should only be possible with the (informed) consent of the author(s) of those Performers and creators should be fairly compensated for the use of their work including but not limited to illustrations, animations, writing, voicework, likeness, or image, in AI generated Creators—such as writers, musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, and other professionals—need to be able to govern how their works, identities, and creative inputs are used, adapted, or reproduced by AI systems. This control ensures that the creators' intellectual property (IP), labour, and reputations are respected and that they receive fair recognition and compensation. In order for this to be realized, creators need to have an understanding on what AI – and particularly GenAI – entails; it is also necessary to build agency among them to negotiate relevant employment call upon the regulators, lawmakers and governments to fight for culture and art and the value it provides, to draft and implement legislation that protects those workers and those call upon producers, showrunners, studio heads and production staff to understand and protect our creative culture and to prioritize both the workers and our call upon all creative workers worldwide to unite. We ask that you support human made works. We ask that you speak up against the implementation of AI. We ask that you become informed and unionise with your fellow workers to protect ourart and culture, our work and our and supported by:ABRACA (Belgium, animation workers union)AGrAF (France, directors, graphic authors and writers association)BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union)AWI (Ireland, animation workers union)CNT-SIPMCS (France, press media culture and show union)CSVI (Spain, video game union)FIA (The International Federation of Actors)FIM (The International Federation of Musicians)FNSAC-CGT (France, CGT Federation of Entertainment Unions)La Guilde française des scénaristes (France, writers union)GWUI (Ireland, videogame workers union)Les Intervalles (France, association against abuse and discrimination in animation)Kunstenbond (Netherlands, illustration, comic and animation workers)La Ligue des auteurs professionnels (France, authors union)Syndicat des Scénaristes (France, writers union)SFA-CGT (France, actors dubbing, comedians union)Snam-CGT (France, musicians union)SNTPCT (France, animation and VFX workers union)SPIAC-CGT (France, animation workers union)STJV (France, video game workers union)The Animation Guild (USA, animation workers and writers union)TouchePasàMaVF (France, actors dubbing association against GenAI)Uni MEI (International Art and Entertainment Alliance) Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 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Geek Tyrant
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Andy Serkis Says THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM Will Feel Like THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy — GeekTyrant
Andy Serkis is officially headed back to Middle-earth as an actor and director, and he just gave a promising update on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum . It's exactly the kind of reassurance fans of the original trilogy have been hoping for. In a recent interview with Collider while promoting his upcoming adaptation of Animal Farm , Serkis shared that while the film is still in its early stages, real movement is happening soon. Prep work is ramping up in the next few months, with filming set to begin in early to mid-2026. The release is slated for December 2027. Serkis talked about the film saying: 'We're very early on in the process. We've been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We're about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so. 'We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it'll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it's a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release. 'I'm incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy. 'The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we're investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.' Serkis is aiming for the same tone, scope, and heart of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. That should ease some anxiety from fans still smarting from the uneven Hobbit films or skeptical of more Tolkien spin-offs. Set during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring , The Hunt for Gollum follows Gandalf's pursuit of Gollum after realizing Bilbo's ring is actually the One Ring. It's an interquel that fills in a crucial gap, and Serkis, who will also reprise his iconic role as Gollum, is the only confirmed cast member so far. But, Ian McKellen is also expected to return. Lord of the Rings fans are pretty protective of the original trilogy's legacy. Expanding on that world is always a high-wire act. But Serkis isn't rushing in. He's taking his time, planning carefully, and grounding the project in what made the originals so special. His deep connection to the material, and to Gollum in particular, makes him a uniquely qualified guide for this chapter. I hoipe that he pulls it off. If this movie delivers on what Serkis is promising, a character-focused journey with the emotional and mythic weight of the trilogy, it could be a powerful return to form.
