Andy Serkis lined up for Apes Oscar nod

Andy Serkis is being talked up as a potential Oscar contender this season for his performance in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', even though his face doesn’t actually appear on screen.

He played Caeser, the impressively animated CGI, via motion-capture technology, and earned rave reviews for his work.

Now studio bosses are hoping he gets the recognition he deserves.

Tom Rothman, co-chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment spoke to The Hollywood reporter at the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

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“I think we may be at the place where we will see a first-ever in Hollywood this year,” he said.

“Which is to see Andy Serkis get nominated for a best supporting actor for Planet of the Apes, even though his face never actually appears, but his performance appears, so we are going to push that hard.”

The studio will lobby hard to get him a nomination.

Even though 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Avatar' previously won big at the Academy, the motion-capture performances from the stars of those films were overlooked.

Mo-cap specialist Serkis played Gollum in 'Lord of the Rings' and the eponymous ape in 'King Kong'.

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is released on DVD and Blu-ray 12 December.