Gollum actor to play 'King Kong'

LOS ANGELES, June 11 (UPI) -- Andy Serkis, the human behind Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, will do similar duty on diretor Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong."

Serkis will provide the movement for the motion capture reference, which will then be used as the basis for a computer generated image of Kong, the mighty ape.

"While Andy will provide very valuable onset reference, this doesn't mean we will be softening Kong by attempting to humanize him," Jackson told The Hollywood Reporter. "The power of the story lies in the fact that this is a savage beast from a hostile environment, and we don't intend to compromise that."

Serkis will also play a member of the crew of the Venture, the tramp steamer that carries Kong off Skull Island. The cast is headed by Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody.