grimmest rhymer: Smaug In 'The Hobbit' Will Be 'Extraordinary'

'It's still a very secret character that is very closely safeguarded, and it's still in the design process,' Andy Serkis says at Golden Globes.
By Kevin P. Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Andy Serkis at the 2012 Golden Globes
Photo: Getty Images

Motion-capture wizard Andy Serkis took some time off from filming "The Hobbit" to hit the red carpet at the 2012 Golden Globes, but it seems like he left all of his precious Middle-earth secrets back in New Zealand.

When Serkis took some time to chat with MTV News' Josh Horowitz, he refused to give any clue what the legendary dragon Smaug might look like on the big screen. "I can't give any secrets away, none of those trade secrets," Serkis said. "I can't say that because actually it's still under wraps."

In "The Hobbit," Serkis reprises the role that made him a capture-performance all-star: Gollum. Additionally, he will step behind the camera as the director of the films' second unit.

An iconic character in J.R.R. Tolkien's mythological world, Smaug is the impetus for all of the action in Peter Jackson's upcoming "Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Such a revered character is bound to come with a high level of security.

Serkis suggested that there might be more to his own secrecy than just avoiding spoilers. According to the actor, Weta Workshop is still working on the creature's look. "It's still a very secret character that is very closely safeguarded, and it's still in the design process," he said.

The little we do know about Smaug is more than enough to get us excited. Benedict Cumberbatch will voice Smaug in "The Hobbit" before going where no man has gone before as the villain in J.J. Abrams' next "Star Trek."

Serkis said that with Cumberbatch as Smaug, audiences certainly have something to look forward to. "With an actor like Benedict Cumberbatch playing him, it will be extraordinary," he said.

Check out everything we've got on "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

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