Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Introduces The Ape Cavalry
The follow-up to Rise of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters in about three months. Director Matt Reeves and his crew are currently in post-production, busy getting the film ready for its July release date. A new trailer is expected soon, but for now some behind-the-scenes images have emerged showing how the film will bring its motion-capture apes to life…plus Caesar on horseback! Well, Andy Serkis on horseback anyway.
The images above from Empire Magazine definitely suggests the apes will have some heavy-duty firepower this time around, especially since they only had rocks and sticks as weapons in Rise. I’m curious about that wall they’re standing on, which reads “Restricted Access.” Perhaps the apes will invade the city of San Francisco during the film’s climax. As Dawn begins, the California city is left largely empty after a long civil war among the human population after the Simian Flu outbreak. That plaque wiped out much of the human population, while at the same time increasing the intelligence of the apes. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place about 10 years after the events of Rise, in the year 2026.
The other images feature the film’s lead actor, Andy Serkis, as Caesar, shown above showing off his sweet new ride. Serkis is pictured alongside co-stars Jason Clarke and Keri Russell, who play human scientists. The first image that was released from Dawn was of Caesar riding a horse, but this image takes place at night, whereas the other was clearly during the daylight hours.
Finally, we’ve got a shot of director Matt Reeves with Keri Russell. It’s a Felicity reunion! Reeves created the college drama with J.J. Abrams, and, of course, Keri Russell starred as the titular Felicity.
Empire recently released an additional behind-the-scenes image that featured actor Toby Kebbell as the ape Koba. The scene appears to be set in the apes’ stomping grounds inside the Muir Forest near San Francisco. Within the context of the story, the two species have been separated for so long that they each assume the other species has died off. The film’s structure will follow two storylines, one involving a small group of human survivalists trying to find a cure, and the other focusing on Caesar’s dominance over the apes.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Nick Thurston, Toby Kebbell, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Judy Greer, and Andy Serkis as Caesar. Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield) and screenwriter Mark Bomback (The Wolverine) rewrote Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver’s original script. Jaffa and Silver also wrote the screenplay for Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters everywhere on July 11, 2014, in 3D.
