Back when the cast for ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ was announced, fans collectively let out an “Oh… DUH!” when motion-capture extraordinaire Andy Serkis was listed alongside the newcomers to the franchise. After his performances in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ and ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’, he sort of became the go to guy for mo-cap in Hollywood, so it was a no-brainer that he should be a part of J.J. Abrams’ upcoming adventure in a galaxy far, far away considering the sort of characters that appear in these movies. While we don’t really know exactly who (or what) the actor will be playing just yet, we can safely assume that he’ll be bringing his signature brand of performance to the latest installment of the beloved space film series. At least, that’s what we can gather from a recent interview.

While promoting ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, Serkis spoke briefly to Sci-Fi Now about his part in the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ film. After revealing that he was such a fan of the original movies from a young age, he discussed how organically his involvement in the production came about:

“J.J. Abrams and I met, and we just had this incredible kind of vibe between us. He said, ‘You’d fit really well in this universe,’ and I said, ‘I think I probably could.’ We’re working very closely, as I say, in two ways: the Imaginarium is providing all of the performance characters, and I myself am playing a character in it.

I’m thrilled, deeply excited. Sitting at that read-through the other day was just extraordinary. It was an amazing event; being with the original cast was just incredible. I just think the script is so wonderful, and both the old and the newbies in the cast are just so thrilled and excited to get together.”

For those unfamiliar, the Imaginarium is the company that Serkis co-founded in 2011 with Jonathan Cavendish to be the world’s top performance-capture studio. As if the actor’s involvement weren’t enough to indicate that mo-cap characters would be involved in ‘Episode VII’, then the Imaginarium basically confirms it. And even if Serkis isn’t playing one of them, having his expertise on set for mo-cap and his talent as an actor only makes the film better.

What do you think about Andy Serkis’ excited comments about ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’? Do you think that it’s practically a done deal that he’ll be playing a motion-captured character in the film? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below.