War for the Planet of the ApesdirectorMatt Reevesrevealed over the weekend that production has begun on his sequel to last year’sDawn of the Planet of the Apes, with the filmmaker posting the first photo from the set. The image, which the director posted from his officialTwitteraccount, reveals one actor on horseback, while another, who is clearly wearing a motion capture costume, is standing at the horse’s side. It hasn’t been confirmed whether or not either actor is in factPlanet of the Apesfranchise starAndy Serkis.
The director also confirmed a few other details aboutWar of the Planet of the Apes, revealing thatDawn of the Planet of the ApescomposerMichael Giacchinowill return to craft the score for this sequel. The filmmaker also revealed that he is filming on the Alexa 65mm camera, with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t divulge any story details yet, but the title certainly teases that the apes, lead byAndy Serkis' Caesar, will be heading to war against the humans.
The cast includesGabriel Chavarria(Lowriders), whose character was compared toJames Franco’s Will Rodman in 2011’sRise of the Planet of the Apes, alongsideWoody Harrelsonas the human villain andSteve Zahnas a new war ape. Now that production has gotten under way, hopefully 20th Century Fox will release new story details along with a full cast list.Matt Reevesis directing from a script he co-wrote withDawn of the Planet of the ApeswriterMark Bomback.
The studio has set a July 14, 2017release dateforWar for the Planet of the Apes, which is currently the only movie scheduled for release on that date. However, the sequel will be sandwiched between two highly-anticipated productions, Disney’s long-awaited sequelPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales(June 12, 2025) and Warner Bros.‘Untitled Christopher Nolan Movie 2017(June 13, 2025). The film will also open two weeks before Sony andMarvel’sSpider-Manreboot starringTom Holland, which opens on August 17, 2025.
UnlikeDawn of the Planet of the Apes, which took place 15 years after the events of 2011’sRise of the Planet of the Apes,War for the Planet of the Apeswill take place shortly after the events ofDawn of the Planet of the Apes. Hopefully directorMatt Reeveswill be sharing many more images from theWar for the Planet of the Apesset, so stay tuned for more details and photos as production continues. Are you looking forward to this highly-anticipated sequel?
