ApeCentral

ON LOCATION: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

From the Daily Mail: His performance as Caesar in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes received critical acclaim, earning him nominations from associations which do not usually recognise performance capture as real acting. And by the looks of the latest images from the set for the sequel, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Andy Serkis is set to give another sterling performance. The English actor was spotted on location in a forest in Vancouver, Canada wearing a motion caption suit, where he was joined by the latest edition [sic] to the cast - Keri Russell. Click below to check out the rest of the images.

BILL CREBER: Video Interview with Planet (1968) Production Designer

From ReelFilmNews.com: "Brandon Troy sits down with legendary designer Bill Creber, Art Director on the original Planet of the Apes! In the interview, Creber talks about his work on the original film and how visual effects have evolved since that time."

RODDY MCDOWALL: Appearance in Apes Make-Up on Carol Burnett

In this wonderful trip back through time, Roddy McDowall makes a very funny appearance in full Apes make-up on The Carol Burnett Show.

DIRECT TV: POTA Ad Featuring Michael Clarke Duncan

This TV commercial for DirectTV had the late Michael Clarke Duncan reprising his role from Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes.

DAWN OF THE APES: First TV Report

Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will be shooting in Vancouver, and what follows is a recent TV news report on that subject.

CORNELIA: Judy Greer Cast in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Vulture broke the news that actress Judy Greer, who has often been seen on the big screen serving as best friend to actresses such as Jennifer Aniston and Katherine Heigl, will portray Caesar's love interest, Cornelia, in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Says the actress, "For so long I haven't been able to say anything about it, so this is exciting! It's a very different kind of work than I'm used to. I'm not going to be wearing Manolo Blahniks in this one." She added, "I married a man who … I'm gonna use the word obsessed. He is obsessed with Planet of the Apes. We had a chimp husband-and-wife cake topper at our wedding. At the cocktail hour, we played Planet of the Apes and Rise of the Planet of the Apes on two separate televisions in the bar area. And on the wedding gift I bought him, a vintage Rolex, I had it engraved, 'Ape shall not kill ape.' I was then told that, technically, it's 'Ape shall never kill ape,' but there wasn't enough space for engraving purposes."

Having worked with star Andy Serkis on 13 Going on 30, he encouraged her to audition for the role, so she did, revealing her deeply held passion to director Matt Reeves. "I think I might have freaked him out a little bit," she said. "It's gonna be fun to have some secrets, but I have to be oh-so-careful. I'm not supposed to say anything to anyone, so once I start shooting, I won't be able to talk to anybody. I feel like I'll be on one of those reality shows where they sequester the Survivors until it's over, or a jury where they have to put you up in a hotel so you don't talk. It's funny, because when I talk to my husband about the movie, he's like, 'I don't want to know! I do want to know! Do you think you should tell me? Don't tell me!''"

KERI RUSSELL: Female Lead For Dawn of the Apes

According to Variety, actress Keri Russell - who stars in FX's just-renewed The Americans - has been signed for Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Says the site, " Additional details about Russell’s character were not immediately available. The casting represents a reunion for Russell and Reeves from the series Felicity, which starred Russell and ran for four seasons from 1998 to 2002. Reeves co-created the series with J.J. Abrams and directed several episodes. Produced by Chernin Entertainment, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set in an apocalyptic future more than a decade after Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which grossed nearly $500 million worldwide."

GARY OLDMAN: To Play Human Resistance Leader in Dawn

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gary Oldman (Harry Potter, the Dark Knight trilogy) is the latest actor cast in Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Points out the story, "While much of the plot is being kept under lock and key, but it is set 15 years after the events of the hit 2011 film. One focus is on the human scientists who are struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. Another aspect of the story is the struggle of intelligent ape Caesar, played by a returning Andy Serkis, to maintain dominance over his kingdom. Oldman is coming on board to play a leader of the human resistance, a diplomatic type who has a military background and was, interestingly enough, a former police commissioner."

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011): Review by NecroVMX

NecroVMX offers up the following review of 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

PLANET OF THE APES (2001): Review by NecroVMX

Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes was released in 2001, YouTube user NecroVMX discusses.

BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (1973): Review by NecroVMX

The final film in the original Apes film series was 1973's Battle For the Planet of the Apes, and below is NecroVMX's review.

KODI-SMIT MCPHEE: Cast in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Deadline.com reports that actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, who voiced the title character in Paranorman and is currently filming Jake Paltrow's The Young Ones, has been cast in one of the lead roles of Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. No word yet on whether or not he'll be playing an ape or one of the scientists looking for  cure to the virus that has wiped out much of humanity. Reportedly the new film will take place 15 years after the events of its predecessor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn marks the runion of McPhee with Reeves, the duo having previously worked together on Let Me In.

CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (1972): Review by NecroVMX

NecroVMX offers up his review of 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (1971): Review by NecroVMX

The third chapter of the original Apes films, 1971's Escape From the Planet of the Apes, is reviewed by YouTube user NecroVMX below.

BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES (1970): Review by NecroVMX

Released in 1970, Beneath the Planet of the Apes was the second film in the originl film cycle, and NecroVMX has posted the following review to YouTube.

DAWN OF THE APES: Video Report on Jason Clarke Casting

ClevverMovies offers up this report on Jason Clarke being cast in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

PLANET OF THE APES (1968): Review by NecroVMX

YouTube user NecroVMX has offered up reviews of all of the Planet of the Apes films, which we begin presenting with his take on the 1968 original.

 

RUPERT WYATT: Rise Director Taking on The Equalizer

The 1980s television series The Equalizer is being turned into a feature film by Sony starring Denzel Washington in the role originally played by Edward Woodard. Now according to The Hollywood Reporter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt (who also helmed The Escapist) is likely to direct. Says THR, "Setting a director on Equalizer hasn’t been easy. After an initial search, Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) was set to be the man behind the camera but split when he didn’t see eye to eye with Washington. In the last few weeks names such as Pete Berg were on the short list. Washington is playing Robert McCall, the retired intelligence officer who helps the powerless. In the movie version, he is living a quiet life while working at a Home Depot, when one of his acts of kindness gets him embroiled with the Russian mob."

Adds Deadline.com, "The film is a smartly budgeted thriller based on the TV series that will come in around $50 million and is designed to launch the first franchise for Washington, who’ll be paid his customary $20 million. The film is loosely based on the TV series that starred Edward Woodward as a mysterious former covert operations officer who helps people in trouble, and was created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. The film has that basic premise but takes off in its own way, tailored to Washington’s skills. He’ll play a solitary, monastic figure who hates injustice and devotes himself to helping people who are being victimized."

JASON CLARKE: To Star in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The Hollywood Reporter has posted a story stating that Zero Dark Thirty star Jason Clarke will be starring in Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Observes THR, "Much of the plot is being kept under lock and key, but it is set 15 years after the events of 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which starred James Franco. One focus is on the group of human scientists who are struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. Another aspect of the story is the struggle of intelligent ape Caesar, played by a returning Andy Serkis, to maintain dominance over his kingdom. It is unclear who Clarke will play. Peter Chernin, Dylan Clarke, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa are producing the movie, which is currently working off a script by Mark Bomback. Apes is targeting a spring shoot."

SCOTT Z. BURNS: Script Changes on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

While speaking to Collider.com for his film Side Effects, writer Scott Z. Burns offered a bit of an update on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the script of which he took on following a draft by Rise's Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. "I have no idea [if they’re using my script]," he said. "Rupert Wyatt and I worked on a draft last summer that I think we were both really excited about and he went into Fox and they seemed to like it, they wanted a lot of changes and they sort of parted ways over those changes. Then management shifted at Fox, they brought in a new director, I think the new director wanted a new writer and I don’t know how much of what we did and I wrote is ongoing. It’s kind of heartbreaking because I really loved what we were trying to say with that movie so I hope some of it survives or that they came up with something a lot better."