Turns out, Caesar’s newfound speaking abilities aren’t the only reason we should all fear him. In the latest poster for this summer’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which picks up the story of the intelligent simian leader (Andy Serkis) ten years after he fled with his kind in the Redwood forest at Muir Woods at the end of Rise, Caesar proves himself more than capable of rallying his troops (while toting an assault rifle and mounting a horse, naturally).
The image, which you can check out below, speaks to the increased stakes in this sequel. No longer is Caesar a naive and trusting young ape – in the decade that has passed since his zoo-break led to a brutal, human-on-ape battle on the Golden Gate Bridge, he has transformed into a savvy and ruthless military leader. The years have not been as kind to his human adversaries, most of whom have been wiped out by a devastating virus.
Some survivors still remain, including a group led by the mysterious Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), who believes he has found a way to turn the tables on the apes. As you can tell from the poster below, Caesar doesn’t take too kindly to the new threat. That’s not too surprising, considering he has a family to protect this time around. His wife Cornelia (Judy Greer) and son River (Nick Thurston) are both put in danger by the conflict between Dreyfus’s group and Caesar’s army, which causes the ape leader to pick up arms and ride into battle.
This is the most action-packed look at Dawn that we’ve gotten so far, but it’s also probably the best case we’ve seen made for the film yet. The exciting image is definitely a smart move on the part of this film’s marketing department, though Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is opening uncontested on July 11th.
Check out the official synopsis below, along with the poster, and let us know whether this blockbuster has your attention yet.
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.
