There are few sequels I am looking forward to as much as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to 2011’s surprise hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I was a bit concerned about the film after Rise director Rupert Wyatt left the sequel, though new director Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield) is a solid replacement. I’ve also had concerns about the script, which at this point has had four different writers.
But the latest casting announcement has assuaged my fears somewhat. We all know that the brilliant Andy Serkis is returning as Caesar, and it was recently announced that Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) was joining the cast. But the latest announcement is that Gary Oldman will have a major role in the movie. This is great on so many levels because Oldman is probably the best actor who has yet to win an Oscar, but also because Oldman doesn’t generally do bad movies (well, except Red Riding Hood) so the script can’t be half bad! The news also revealed that the sequel is set fifteen years after the first film, with the few remaining human scientists trying to start a resistance against ape rule in San Francisco.
It also means with all these announcements that it’s increasingly less likely that James Franco will be in the sequel which is fine by me. That’s what he gets for first talking trash about Rise of the Planet of the Apes and then praising it after it proved to be a critical and box office hit!
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on May 23, 2014.
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