Andy Serkis Finds His ‘Animal Farm’ Voice Cast

Preview:

• Seth Rogen, Glenn Close and more will lend their voices to ‘Animal Farm.’
• Andy Serkis is in the director’s chair.
• The movie adapts the classic George Orwell novel of authoritarianism.

In development for several years now, it would seem that Andy Serkis has quietly finished work on his adaptation of George Orwell classic ‘Animal Farm.’

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A group of animals rebel against their human owners and take over the farm. Their uprising over, they are presented with a fresh set of challenges under the rule… Read the Plot

We’ve been hearing about this one on and off for a while now, with talk of performance capture and at least one cast list floating around.

Yet Variety brings word of a seemingly confirmed all-star cast for the project.

Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Steve Buscemi, Glenn Close, Laverne Cox, Kieran Culkin, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons, Kathleen Turner and Iman Vellani are all reportedly aboard the movie.

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What’s the story of ‘Animal Farm’?

Andy Serkis at a London Special Screening of ‘The Batman.’ Copyright: © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Orwell’s 1945 novella tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon, the farm ends up in a far worse state than before.

The author –– who also touched on authoritarian metaphors with ‘1984,’ –– always said that ‘Animal Farm’ reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, a period when Russia lived under the Marxist–Leninist ideology of Joseph Stalin.

Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Barcelona May Days conflicts during the Spanish Civil War.
While Serkis’ ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ director Rupert Wyatt worked on an earlier draft, Nicholas Stoller, who has been responsible for movies such as ‘The Muppets,’ ‘Storks’ and ‘You’re Cordially Invited,’ wrote the actual shooting script.

Who is who in ‘Animal Farm’?

Seth Rogen in ‘The Studio,’ premiering March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.

While not every cast member has a confirmed character, we do have a few details…

Rogen is voicing Napoleon, the pig who assumes command of the farm and ends up becoming a despot on four legs (and then two legs).

Culkin is on to be Squealer, a small, white, fat large white pig who serves as Napoleon’s second-in-command and minister of propaganda.

Serkis, meanwhile, is playing Benjamin, a donkey, one of the oldest, wisest animals on the farm, and one of the few who can read properly. He is skeptical, temperamental and cynical: his most frequent remark is, “Life will go on as it has always gone on –– that is, badly.” Many have pointed to Orwell adding something of himself to the character.

Here’s what Serkis has previously said about the project:

“The challenging journey to bring this extraordinary story to the screen has been finally rewarded by the opportunity to partner with the brilliant team at Aniventure and Cinesite. Together we hope to make our version of Orwell’s ever relevant masterpiece, emotionally powerful, humorous, and relatable for all ages. A tale not only for our times, but for generations to come.”

Where else can I seen the cast?

(L to R) Cath (Glenn Close) and Jady (Peter Dinklage) in ‘Brothers’. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.

Rogen is currently enjoying great reviews for his Apple TV+ series ‘The Studio,’ about a stressed movie executive trying to navigate art and commerce.

Close has earned eight Oscar nominations for the likes of ‘Fatal Attraction,’ ‘Dangerous Liaisons,’ and ‘The Big Chill,’ but has also been seen in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and TV series ‘Damages.’

Matarazzo is best known for his work on Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things,’ He has also lent his voice to movies including ‘My Father’s Dragon’ and ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2.’

Buscemi might be most famous for movies including ‘Fargo,’ ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘The Big Lebowski,’ and while on TV, he starred in ‘Boardwalk Empire.’ Voice-wise, his recognizable tones were heard in “Monsters, Inc.”

Steve Buscemi attends the launch of the Sky Atlantic channel at the Sky pop-up venue on February 4, 2011 in London, England. Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images.

Cox starred in Netflix’s ‘Orange is the New Black,’ and has since appeared in ‘Promising Young Woman,’ ‘Inventing Anna’ and ‘Disclosure.’

Culkin recently won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Jesse Eisenberg’s ‘A Real Pain’ He also won an Emmy for his work as Roman Roy on HBO’s ‘Succession.’

Harrelson is a three-time Oscar nominee whose credits include HBO’s ‘True Detective,’ ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ and ‘The People vs. Larry Flynt.’

Parsons is best known for his work on ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ while Vellani broke out with her role as Kamala Khan in Marvel/Disney+ series ‘Ms. Marvel’ and follow-up movie ‘The Marvels.’

When will ‘Animal Farm’ be on screens?

While Variety’s story makes no mention of a release date (and the movie’s connection to Netflix would not naturally scream theatrical), World of Reel is reporting, and the IMDb lists, a July 11th release for ‘Animal Farm.’

Of course, given the long history of this one, we’ll believe it when it’s in cinemas or on our screens some other way.

(L to R) Director Andy Serkis and Tom Hardy on the set of 2021’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage.’

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