War Has Begun in First ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ Teaser
Few franchises have had a more successful or impressive reinvention in recent years as Planet of the Apes. The original series, beloved in its day, petered out by the middle of the 1970s, and the first attempt to revive it, in a 2001 film from director Tim Burton, proved disastrous. But the new prequel series, charting the descent of our human world into a planet full of those damn, dirty apes, has breathed new life into the old property. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a late-summer hit in August 2011, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes outgrossed it three years later. (It made about $30 million more in the U.S. and a whopping $220 million more worldwide.)
The Ape-vival continues with War for the Planet of the Apes, the third prequel installment and the second directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In). Ahead of a big promo push at this weekend’s New York Comic-Con, Fox has unveiled the teaser above. In War, Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, the soulful (and motion-captured) leader of the ape forces, with a new human cast fronted by Woody Harrelson. Here’s the full plot synopsis:
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.
War for the Planet of the Apes opens July 14, 2017.