{Exclusive} Andy Serkis Confirmed And Hossein Amini Tapped For “Steelskin” From 20th Century Fox

       〉 Serkis will produce, direct and star in an update of Rumplestiltskin, with Amini writing the script.

Sources have confirmed that Star Wars – The Force Awakens’ Andy Serkis is moving forward with plans to produce, direct and star in 20^th Century Fox’s STEELSKIN, an update of the classic Rumplestiltskin fairy tale. Drive scribe Hossein Amini has been tapped to write the script. Serkis will produce through his Imaginarium shingle, with Mark Roybal overseeing for Fox.

The details of the story are being kept under wraps, but we’re hearing that it is going to be a re-telling of the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale that is tonally similar to Snow White & The Huntsman (Amini worked on the script to Huntsman back in 2012).

The Grimm Brothers’ tale is the story of a miller who tells a king that his daughter is capable of spinning straw into gold. The king then locks the girl in a tower and demands that she do so by morning, but just as she’s given up all hope, an imp-like creature arrives. He uses his magic to spin the straw into gold in exchange for jewelry, but as the king’s demands grow, so do the imp’s.

Eventually, the girl promises the imp her first-born son if he agrees to spin an entire room of straw into gold. When the imp returns years later to claim the boy, the now-queen begs him for another trade. The imp agrees, saying that if she can guess his name in three days, he’ll let her keep her child. When she follows him into the woods and hears him singing his own name–Rumplestiltskin. The next day, when he returns for the child, she reveals his name, and Rumplestiltskin disappears in anger.

Rumors of the Steelskin project have been floated previously, but it now looks like both the studio and Serkis consider the project a priority. Serkis has been expanding his role as a director lately; he is helming Warner Bros.’ Jungle Book: Origins, currently in production, and is attached to direct an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. He’ll next appear on-screen as Emperor Snope in Star Wars – The Force Awakens later this month.

Amini, one of the industry’s most sought after scribes, is working on Warner Bros.’ action-adventure period piece Methuselah, which has been put into active development. His spy thriller script Shadow Runner has Chris Hemsworth attached to the lead with Columbia set to produce.

Serkis is repped by CAA, Lou Coulson Associates, and Principal Entertainment.
Amini is repped by WME and Curtis Brown Group.

—TO SEE ALL THE PROJECT DETAILS CLICK HERE—

Josh Lyons | Associate Editor