Andy Serkis goes from Gollum to Director on The Hobbit prequels

Congratulations are in order for Andy Serkis, he's been made Peter Jackson's second unit director on the eagerly anticipated The Hobbit prequels.

Serkis who pioneered motion capture technology with his memorable performance as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy will oversee select location work on Jackson's two upcoming films where he will once again play Gollum. He said "There was this email out of the blue. It was a fantastic surprise."

It is believed that Jackson chose Serkis because he undersands the material and the director's vision and the new role is sure to give the actor's directing career a big boost - he hopes to take charge of his first feature film after wrapping work on The Hobbit films.

CONGRATS ANDY!

Serkis will take on the role of Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn which is due in cinemas on October 26.