Nick Cave, Andy Serkis Bringing “Threepenny Opera” to Big Screen

Not to be outdone by the "Taxi Driver" remake rumors swirling about the Berlin Film Festival, Andy Serkis announced that he and Nick Cave plan to bring the "The Threepenny Opera" to the big screen in motion-capture.

“It’s nice to announce it in its hometown,” said Serkis of his upcoming project, according to Screen Daily. Serkis is in Berlin to promote his Ian Dury biopic, the aptly titled "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll."

"Threepenny" tells the story of Macheath (better known as "Mack the Knife," of song legend), and his struggle to avoid the hangman's noose. A devout Marxist, Bertolt Brecht's musical poses the question, "Who is the greater criminal: he who robs a bank or he who founds one?" a query with renewed relevance these days.

Serkis' mo-cap performance in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was so good it's a wonder the Academy hasn't yet invented a new category to honor others like it. So if you're intent on going mo-cap, a medium that normally leaves us cold, Serkis is your man.

And Cave is the perfect choice to pen "Threepenny" or any other Brecht film project. Cave's music with The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds and on his own are direct descendants of the Wiemar sound that made Brecht famous. Additionally, Cave's script for the overlooked "The Proposition" showed him to be a talented screenwriter.

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