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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!''"

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."

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: WETA Update From Joe Letteri

WETA's Joe Letteri recently provided an update on the currently-in-development Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. To check out the interview, head HERE. Also, visit our new page devoted to Planet of the Apes over at the Media Geek Network, by clicking HERE.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Filming Begins in March in New Orelans

From Acting-Audtions.org: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," Twentieth Century Fox's sequel to its blockbuster 2011 hit feature film "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," is in pre-production and gearing up for a March, 2013 filming start date in New Orleans, Louisiana. With a $93 million budget and over $483 million at the box office, this second film in the reboot series of films is being highly anticipated. Principal actor casting for the film's lead roles co-starring roles will be cast in Los Angeles, with additional casting in New Orleans. All extras, photo doubles, and stand-ins will be cast throughout filming in New Orleans.

The extremely talented and necessary actor returning is Golden Globe winner Andy Serkis as the ultra-intelligent genetically altered ape Caesar. Serkis is the most highly respected and critically acclaimed motion capture actor in the entertainment industry, and has won many awards for that type of work including a Screen Actors Guild Award. Some of his credits include Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies, Universal Pictures' "King Kong," Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin," and Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Fox's Short List of Directors

According to Deadline, 20th Century Fox has narrowed down their list of directors to replace Rupert Wyatt on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), Juan Carlos fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and Jeff Nichols (Crazy Heard and Mud). Says Deadline, "This should all be decided rather quickly, and it certainly helps having a movie with a sequel people are eager to see as a way for Fox to test its new mantra to attract emerging hot filmmakers to work at the studio. Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver have turned in a script the studio likes. The first film grossed $483 million worldwide and seamlessly set up the apocalyptic sequel plotline."

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Director Rupert Wyatt Stepping Down?

Deadline.com is offering up an exclusive report that director Rupert Wyatt may not be helming the sequel to his 2011 film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Reports the site, "I’m told that Wyatt’s exit is similar to the same reason that Gary Ross stepped out of Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Wyatt didn’t feel comfortable making the May 23, 2014 release date that the studio announced in May. Fox declined comment, but clearly something is going on. This would be a blow to the studio, but Fox and Chernin Entertainment have such a big hit here that they can aim high for a new helmer. The studio likes the script that Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver have turned in, and they are gearing up to make the date in a movie where the apes take over."
   What's your feeling about this possible turn of events? Sound off in the comments section.

TIME TRAVEL COMMENTARY: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

On some levels it's rather bewildering to see how widespread word that there will be no time travel in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has become, and in some cases how outraged people are. Our position is why would there be time travel in the first sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes? Why is it deemed necessary? The first film went to such great efforts to root everything in the real world, why should it be necessary to add such a hard sci-fi idea as time travel?
   Another POTA fan, going by the name MikeAquaMagnus, offers up the following video commentary on this subject:

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Fan-Made Poster

It's fascinating to see that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which is only in the development stage at this point, is already inspiring the creative side of fans. Along those lines comes a new fan-made poster design, this one a take-off on the one-sheet for George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.