Shooting films with real animals 'absurd': Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis has delivered powerhouse performances by playing computer-generated characters such as Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and the revolutionary ape, Caesar in "Planet of Apes" film franchise, to name a few.
The 53-year-old actor said the idea of filming movies with live animals is "cruel" now that Hollywood has moved light years ahead in terms of technology.
Serkis said techniques such as CGI and performance- mapping have made motion-capture movies possible, without causing any discomfort to real wild animals, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"The thought of shooting an Apes movie now with real apes is absurd. We've matured as an industry and realised that that would be intolerable and cruel," he said in a video interview with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

PETA has been campaigning to promote the use of CGI to replace real wild animals in films.
Recently, movies such as "The Revenant" and "Noah" had used digital imaging to create feral fauna on celluloid.
Serkis is also popular for voice acting as Captain Haddock / Sir Francis Haddock in "The Adventures of Tintin" and as King Kong in the eponymous 2005 film.
The actor will lend his voice to Baloo, the bear in the live-action adventure fantasy film "Jungle Book", which will be directed by him.