As part of its summer blockbuster preview, Entertainment Weekly caught up with War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves and star Andy Serkis to discuss the film, which picks up two years after Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and sees Caesar leading his apes into a brutal conflict with the humans, led by Woody Harrelson’s Colonel.
“It finally cracks Caesar,” said Reeves, referring to Caesar’s confrontation with The Colonel. “It sets him on a revenge mission. The movie goes from being this grand war movie to an almost Josey Wales-like Western.”
“The Colonel comes across as someone who’s psychotic,” adds Serkis. “But he is fighting for the survival of humanity, as Caesar is fighting for the apes.”
SEE ALSO: Watch the trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes here
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 is set for release on July 14th. The film is directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and features a cast that includes Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Michael Adamthwaite, Gabriel Chavarria, Max Lloyd-Jones, Sara Canning, Amiah Miller, Aleks Paunovic and Chad Rook.
Originally published April 24, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
