Actor, director and the king of the green screen Andy Serkis will be helming a biopic series of the famous French wax sculptor, Madame Tussaud.
The series, titled 'Madame!', will tell the untold story of Tussaud, a French artist known for her wax sculptures who honed her craft during the age of enlightenment and the French Revolution.
She escaped to England during the French Reign of Terror, founding her now-legendary wax museum in London in 1835.
'Madame!' will trace Tussaud's rise from 18th century Paris and portray Tussauds as an "extraordinarily pioneering businesswoman [who] built her business from scratch" along the way sacrificing "relationships with nearly everyone close to her (including her own children), exchanging love for her legacy."
Serkis created the series and will direct and act as showrunner. Famed for his motion capture performances, he starred as Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings' as well as Caesar in 'Planet of the Apes'. He is also starring in the upcoming 'Luther' movie alongside Idris Elba.
"This is no straight-up period drama. It is a hilariously crazy, no holds barred, anarchic, punk caper conjured from the curiously twisted mind of a fabulously post-truth executioner’s daughter!" Serkis said in a statement.
"Marie knows one thing very clearly – if you’re going to tell your own life story, make it entertaining, even if you have to make it up, and whatever happens, cut out the boring bits…."
Serkis began directing with the 2017 film 'Breathe'. He then went on to direct 'Mowgli' and 'Venom 2'. He is also adapting an animated version of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'.
Newton Connect is co-developing 'Madame!' alongside Serkis' own company, The Imaginarium.
Newen Connect CEO Rodolph Buet said the series "depicts a visionary heroine who shook up conventions in the 18th century and whose journey as a strong independent woman managing to build an empire resonates particularly nowadays."
