After two wildly successful movies, 2011’sRise of the Planet of the Apesand 2014’sDawn of the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox is getting ready to unveil the third installment in this hit franchise centering on thepowerful ape Caesar, played byAndy Serkis. While we wait for the next trailer to debut, directorMatt Reevesand starAndy Serkisshed some light on this movie in a new interview. This action-packed sci-fi thriller will focus on how both the apes and humanity engage in a war for their own livelihood.
Entertainment Weeklycaught up with bothMatt ReevesandAndy Serkisas part of their summer movie preview. When we first met Caesar, he was just one ape among many, who was raised byJames Franco’s character Will Rodman. Now he is a fully grown ape who has evolved into a family man and commander of a growing ape army that squares off with a mysterious Colonel (Woody Harrelson) and his human army. Here’s whatAndy Serkishad to say about his iconic character.
“It’s very rare that an actor can get to play the whole life of a character. It’sBoyhood, but for apes. It’s my Apehood!”
The story takes place two years afterDawn of the Plant of the Apes, which represents a much smaller time jump this time around. 15 years had passed betweenRise of the Planet of the ApesandDawn of the Planet of the Apes, with this new story centering on this conflict between the apes and the Colonel shortly after the end of the previous sequel. DirectorMatt Reevesrevealed that Caesar goes on a “revenge mission” in this movie.
“It finally cracks Caesar. It sets him on a revenge mission. The movie goes from being this grand war movie to an almost Josey Wales-like Western.”
This movie also introduces a new human character, a young girl named Nova (Amiah Miller), who becomes part of Caesar’s “posse,” and Bad Ape, a talking ape played bySteve Zahn. The movie opens with a “stunning ape-versus-human battle through the forest,” with the rest of the story taking Caesar to the snow-capped Sierra Mountains. Here’s whatAndy Serkishad to say about this war with the Colonel.
“The Colonel comes across as someone who’s psychotic. But he is fighting for the survival of humanity, as Caesar is fighting for the apes. Expect a loser, but no real winners.”
War for the Planet of the Apesalso starsGabriel Chavarria,Judy GreerandKarin Konoval.Matt Reevesdirects from a script he co-wrote withMark Bomback. The movie will hit theaters on July 14, which has that date to itself, but comes a week afterSpider-Man: Homecomingand a week afterDunkirk. Hopefully we’ll have more onWar for the Planet of the Apessoon.
