The Imaginarium
The Imaginarium is a British film and television production company founded by Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish, with roots in performance-capture filmmaking.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Imaginarium is a British screen-production company associated with actor-director Andy Serkis and film producer Jonathan Cavendish. It emerged from a broader venture that combined conventional film production with a performance-capture studio, reflecting Serkis's pioneering work in digitally mediated acting and Cavendish's experience as a producer. The company is also known as Imaginarium Productions, while its related performance-capture operation became known as The Imaginarium Studios. Serkis and Cavendish began working together in 2009 and established the Imaginarium at a permanent base at Ealing Studios in London. The venture was designed to develop and produce projects in which live performance, visual effects, digital characters, and emerging capture technologies could be integrated from an early stage. In January 2012, the studio entered an agreement with Vicon, a specialist supplier of precision motion-tracking systems. This relationship supported the technical side of the business and reinforced the Imaginarium's association with performance-capture production. The company's activities subsequently covered both film and high-end television. Its first feature-film production was Breathe, directed by Serkis and based on the life of Robin Cavendish, whose story also had a personal connection to Jonathan Cavendish. The film starred Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Tom Hollander, and Hugh Bonneville, and opened the 2017 BFI London Film Festival. Other screen credits have included The Ritual, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, No One Gets Out Alive, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The company also participated in the production of Next Goal Wins, directed by Taika Waititi and starring Michael Fassbender and Elisabeth Moss. Television work has included Fungus the Bogeyman, Death and Nightingales, Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Brilliant Minds, and The Girlfriend. These projects show a range extending from literary adaptation and historical drama to genre entertainment, psychological thriller, and contemporary serialized television. The company has worked with major international platforms and broadcasters, including Netflix and Amazon, although the available reference material does not establish a single permanent distribution relationship. In May 2017, the production business and The Imaginarium Studios were separated into two companies. This division distinguished the screen-production activities of The Imaginarium from the specialist performance-capture studio. The production company continued to develop film and television projects, including an animated adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm directed by Serkis and featuring the voices of Seth Rogen and Woody Harrelson. Blood Cruise and The Last House on Needless Street have also been identified as projects in development or forthcoming. The Imaginarium's positioning is therefore centered on creator-led, technically ambitious film and television production, especially projects that benefit from distinctive visual effects, digital performance, genre storytelling, or literary adaptation.
History
The Imaginarium developed from a partnership between actor-director Andy Serkis and film producer Jonathan Cavendish. Their collaboration began in 2009, and the venture was established with a permanent base at Ealing Studios in London. It combined a production company with a performance-capture studio, an arrangement intended to bring acting, digital character creation, motion tracking, and visual-effects development into a unified creative process. The venture's identity was closely connected to Serkis's work in performance capture and to Cavendish's producing background. Rather than operating solely as a conventional film financier or production label, the Imaginarium was conceived as a company capable of developing stories alongside the technical methods needed to realize digitally enhanced performances. In January 2012, the studio signed an agreement with Vicon, a major supplier of precision motion-tracking systems. The agreement underscored the company's technology-oriented role and its interest in specialist capture infrastructure. The production side gradually built a slate across film and television. Its first feature film was Breathe, directed by Serkis and based on the life of Robin Cavendish. The biographical connection was significant within the company's history because Robin Cavendish was the father of Jonathan Cavendish, Serkis's business partner. Starring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Tom Hollander, and Hugh Bonneville, Breathe received the opening-night gala slot at the 2017 BFI London Film Festival. The company also became associated with projects including The Ritual, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, No One Gets Out Alive, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The company's television activity expanded its profile beyond feature filmmaking. Credits included Fungus the Bogeyman, Death and Nightingales, and the Netflix series Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. Later projects included Brilliant Minds and The Girlfriend, a psychological thriller series for Amazon. The range of these productions demonstrates a business model based on working across formats, genres, and distribution partners rather than concentrating on a single type of screen content. In May 2017, the production operation and The Imaginarium Studios were separated into two companies. The change created a clearer distinction between The Imaginarium's role as a film and television producer and the related studio's role as a specialist performance-capture business. The production company continued to participate in internationally oriented projects, including Taika Waititi's football comedy Next Goal Wins, starring Michael Fassbender and Elisabeth Moss. The Imaginarium's later slate included an animated version of George Orwell's Animal Farm, directed by Serkis and featuring Seth Rogen and Woody Harrelson. Blood Cruise and The Last House on Needless Street were also identified as projects connected with the company. Across its history, The Imaginarium has been characterized by the combination of conventional production expertise with digital filmmaking, adaptation, genre material, and performance-led storytelling. Publicly available reference material does not provide a complete account of its ownership, financial structure, current executive organization, or distribution arrangements.
- 2025
Animal Farm adaptation
[1]The company's recent work included an animated adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm directed by Andy Serkis.
- 2023
Next Goal Wins
[1]The company was associated with Taika Waititi's football comedy Next Goal Wins.
- 2022
Half Bad reaches television audiences
[1]The Imaginarium was associated with Netflix's fantasy drama Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself.
- 2018
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
[1]The company was associated with the feature film Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.
- 2017
Production and studio businesses separate
[1]The Imaginarium Productions and The Imaginarium Studios businesses were split into separate companies.
- 2017
Breathe premieres at the BFI London Film Festival
[1]Breathe became the company's first feature production and opened the BFI London Film Festival as its gala presentation.
- 2015
Fungus the Bogeyman
[1]The company was associated with the television production Fungus the Bogeyman.
- 2012
Agreement with Vicon
[1]The studio entered an agreement with Vicon concerning precision motion-tracking systems.
- 2011
The Imaginarium is established
[1]The Imaginarium was established as a British production company and performance-capture studio based at Ealing Studios in London.
- 2009
Serkis and Cavendish begin their partnership
[1]Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish began the partnership that led to the establishment of the Imaginarium venture.
Products and positioning
A British, creator-led production company focused on feature films and premium television, with particular expertise and heritage in performance capture, digital characters, visual effects, genre storytelling, and adaptation.
Feature film · 2017
Breathe
The Imaginarium's first feature-film production, Breathe is a biographical drama directed by Andy Serkis. It tells the story of Robin Cavendish and stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Tom Hollander, and Hugh Bonneville. The project has a particularly close connection to the company's founders because Cavendish was the father of Jonathan Cavendish. Breathe was selected as the opening-night gala presentation of the 2017 BFI London Film Festival.
Feature film · 2017
The Ritual
A horror feature associated with The Imaginarium's film-production activities. It forms part of the company's genre-oriented screen slate alongside later supernatural and thriller projects.
Feature film · 2018
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
A feature adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book material associated with Andy Serkis and the Imaginarium's performance-capture and digitally enhanced storytelling heritage.
Feature film · 2021
No One Gets Out Alive
A horror feature included among The Imaginarium's production credits, extending the company's involvement in internationally oriented genre filmmaking.
Feature film · 2021
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
A superhero feature associated with The Imaginarium's production work and its broader connection to effects-driven, digitally supported entertainment.
Feature film · 2023
Next Goal Wins
A football comedy directed by Taika Waititi and starring Michael Fassbender and Elisabeth Moss. The film represents the company's work beyond fantasy and horror into character-led international comedy.
Television series · 2022
Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself
A Netflix fantasy drama written by Joe Barton and associated with The Imaginarium's television production slate. The series reflects the company's interest in serialized genre storytelling and adaptation.
Television series · 2025
The Girlfriend
A psychological thriller series for Amazon associated with The Imaginarium. It demonstrates the company's move across premium television formats and its work with international streaming distribution.
Animated feature film · 2025
Animal Farm
An animated adaptation of George Orwell's political fable, directed by Andy Serkis and featuring Seth Rogen and Woody Harrelson. The project combines literary adaptation with the company's established interest in digitally realized characters and performance-led filmmaking.
Feature film
Blood Cruise
A Scandinavian vampire thriller associated with The Imaginarium and featuring Tuppence Middleton. The available reference material identifies it as forthcoming but does not provide a confirmed release date.
Feature film
The Last House on Needless Street
A project identified as being in development or forthcoming under The Imaginarium's production activities. No confirmed launch date is provided in the available reference material.
Brand decisions
2017
Separation of the production company and performance-capture studioStrategyBackground
The Imaginarium had operated as a combined production and performance-capture venture.
Action taken
Imaginarium Productions and The Imaginarium Studios were split into two separate companies.
Aftermath
The separation distinguished the company's film and television production activities from the specialist performance-capture studio. The available source does not disclose ownership, financial, or management terms for the separation.
2012
Technical partnership with ViconStrategyBackground
The Imaginarium was developing a production model that linked screen production with performance-capture and digital-character technology.
Action taken
The studio signed an agreement with Vicon, a supplier of precision motion-tracking systems.
Aftermath
The agreement reinforced the studio's technical positioning, although the available sources do not specify its commercial terms or long-term operational results.
Sources1 sources
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