JJ Abrams was 'blown away' by Andy Serkis

Los Angeles  - JJ Abrams was so "blown away" by Andy Serkis' performance in Dawn Of The Plant Of The Apes that he cast him in Star Wars: Episode VII.

The 48-year-old producer was shown footage of the film - which is due out next week - by its director Matt Reeves and was so impressed with Andy, 50, that he cast him in the latest instalment of the franchise.

According to Slash Film, Reeves said: "I showed him a bit of the movie. I wanted to get some feedback. And I know that he had known and really loved Andy Serkis.

"And the thing that struck me, and actually got me so excited, was the mystery behind how great he is, is that he's great. That he's an amazing actor. And the scenes that I showed Abrams were of Andy just in mo-cap. And he was like, 'Oh my God, he's an incredible actor.' He was so blown away."

Reeves, 48, describes viewing the footage as a "revelation" for Abrams, 48, and believes it went someway to Serkis being cast in the sci-fi franchise.

He explained: "They had known each other a bit before, anyway, but I think when he saw it, it was like a real revelation.

"He said to me, 'That looks - I'm not kidding when I tell you I think that's one of the best performances I've ever seen.' I said, 'I know, isn't he amazing?' He's so good."

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes opens on 17 July 2014 while Star Wars: Episode VII is due out in December 2015.

Watch the trailer here: