A man and his chimp. Remember how simple Rise of the Planet of the Apes began? And then it all went to Hell, of course, and after a lab full of apes gained human intelligence war began to break out. We saw it escalate in 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes but the final fight between the apes, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis), and the humans reaches a fever pitch in Matt Reeves' War for the Planet of the Apes, and the first full trailer is here.
If you thought the prior movie was bleak, Serkis tells USA Today the sequel, which takes place two years later, finds Caesar in an even worse position...
“Caesar, who has had a love for human beings, is now tested beyond measure. The losses of the apes on his side drive him to a really dark place.”
'Dawn' ended with Caesar defeating the traitorous Koba and befriending the human Malcolm, who won't be returning for the third movie. Instead, it's Woody Harrelson leading the military as the Colonel, who has managed to inflict serious losses on Caesar's colony. With his shaved head and tattoos Harrelson looks like an extra from Reign of Fire, but it does seem appropriate.
Also starring Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, and Gabriel Chavarria, War for the Planet of the Apes opens July 14th 2017.
