War For the Planet of the Apes has been described as the “final chapter” in 20th Century Fox’s blockbuster trilogy – just don’t be fooled into thinking that the studio is ready to call time on the Apes franchise as a whole.
At least, that’s according to Andy Serkis, who spoke with Yahoo Movies to coincide with the launch of the film’s show-stopping final trailer. Back in the mo-cap suit as Caesar, the undisputed beating heart of Fox’s wildly successful Apes series, War For the Planet of the Apes is set to push our CGI hero close the brink. Not only is Serkis’ lead coming to terms with a moral dilemma – torn between revenge and the seemingly unending search for a peaceful solution, but Matt Reeves’ tentpole is a “very Caesar-centric story” – he’ll be left facing The Colonel, Woody Harrelson’s no-nonsense villain who looks to have recruited simian allies of his own.
It has all the makings of an epic clash between human and ape, and in order to drum up the dramatic tension, Andy Serkis told Yahoo that “this is the final chapter in the trilogy.” Granted, the actor quickly clarified that War For the Planet of the Apes is “by no means the end of the road in terms of Apes films,” only that it will bring a sense of closure to Caesar’s arc.
It’s a very Caesar-centric story. [He’s] now a war-ravaged leader [on the verge of [a downward spiral, a desperate search for revenge. Although it’s the War for the Planet of the Apes, it’s very much a war for Caesar’s soul, and a war for himself. He’s deeply conflicted about everything he believed in up until this point.
It’s arguably one of the more intense blockbusters lining the 2017 slate, and we’ll be able to see what all the fuss is about when War For the Planet of the Apes stomps into theaters on July 14th. One glance at the release calendar will tell you that that’s right in the middle of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, so we’re intrigued to see how Matt Reeves’ threequel fares against such strong competition.