Andy Serkis For RTX

Gollum. Caesar. The king of motion-capture actors, the man behind the digital mask, Andy Serkis has just been confirmed as the keynote speaker at RTX, the upcoming convention from online content powerhouse, Rooster Teeth.

Serkis' addition to the lineup shows that RTX, which started as a celebration of the local studio's own work like Red vs. Blue, is becoming much more expansive. He'll be joined on the day by four-time Oscar winner Joe Letteri, the current director of VFX industry pioneers, WETA Digital. He has also worked with Serkis on (deep breath) the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises, King Kong, The Adventures of Tintin, and the Planet of the Apes series.

Not only will they be part of a special keynote panel at 4.30pm on July 7, but attendees will get a chance to see their collaborative work in action with a special advance screening at the Paramount Theatre of War For the Planet of the Apes at 7pm.

That's the latest addition to an already packed schedule, which includes not only a full weekend of Rooster Teeth-related programming, but also an animation festival, the special screening of Netflix's new video game adaptation Castlevania, and a special performance at Stubbs by electropoppers Phantogram.

RTX Austin runs July 7-9 at the Austin Convention Center, Hilton Austin, Hyatt Place, JW Marriott, and the Paramount. Single day and weekend tickets at www.rtxaustin.com.