After Tim Burton’s disastrous effort to resurrect the franchise, no one was quite sure what to make of Fox’s plans to launch a series of prequels starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes back in 2011. However, that ended up working out brilliantly, and with Dawn impressing fans to an even greater degree, anticipation for War for the Planet of the Apes is at an all-time high.
A big part of the reason for that is because this movie looks set to take us one step closer to the world where apes rule and mankind fights for survival. This series of films is in some ways the story of Caesar’s descent into villainy, and while it sounds like we’re still at least a few instalments away from that, the synopsis for War for the Planet of the Apes points to it getting closer.
In ‘War for the Planet of the Apes,’ the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.
The Colonel character mentioned above will be played by Woody Harrelson. Seeing him square off with Andy Serkis’ Caesar should be pretty great, especially with Dawn helmer Matt Reeves back in the director’s chair. Based on the information above, it also definitely sounds like this will be the movie which sets up the planet falling under the control of the apes.
How close to that we’ll get remains to be seen, but with the first footage from War for the Planet of the Apes set to debut at the New York Comic-Con next weekend, expect more details to follow.
