Andy Serkis is to direct a new performance-capture adaptation of George Orwell’s classic book ‘Animal Farm’ for Netflix.

As far back as 2012, British star Serkis has been planning his own take on ‘Animal Farm’, with a plan to star in it himself. Now, however, streaming giant Netflix has snapped the project up for Serkis to direct with his friend and collaborator Jonathan Cavendish via their production company The Imaginarium, according to Deadline.

In a statement on Friday (August 3rd), the new version will be a “contemporary” adaptation of Orwell's work, with the intention being to “highlight the staggering relevance today of the satirical and dramatic power of Orwell's re-imagined classic”, according to Cavendish.

The news comes just a few days after Netflix announced it had acquired distribution rights to Serkis’ upcoming live-action film Mowgli from Warner Bros., with the project streaming next year.

Andy SerkisAndy Serkis is to direct 'Animal Farm' for Netflix

Originally published in 1945, ‘Animal Farm’ was one of Orwell’s final works, and served as a cautionary allegory about the dangers of Soviet communism and the rise of Joseph Stalin, a reaction to the British intelligentsia’s respect for Soviet Russia when they were war-time allies against Nazi Germany.

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Set on an English farm, a group of animals overthrow their exploitative farmer and take power themselves, only for life on the farm to gradually resort back to its sharply divided structure between bosses and workers.

“We are incredibly excited to have finally found the perfect creative home in Netflix for this extraordinarily zeitgeist work by George Orwell,” Serkis said in his own statement.

“On top of that, to be re-united with my great friend Matt Reeves, with his acute sensitivity, storytelling intelligence and honesty, and command in this realm, is to have the very best scenario for our long held passion to bring this fable alive.”

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