New poster for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This is getting exciting.

We also have a new TV spot.

Planet of the Apes receives 2016 date

Now for some release date news we got today.

• In addition to the announcement that Matt Reeves will direct a third installment of Planet of the Apes, we now have an official release date. The third installment is set to hit theaters on July 29, 2016.

• Next up, we have an official release date for the Poltergeist reboot. The horror rehash will hit theaters on February 13, 2015. Yes, that is the same weekend as Fifty Shades of Grey.

• To avoid too much competition for the Valentine's Day weekend, Fox has shifted the newest Nicholas Spark's adaptation, The Longest Ride, from February 13, 2015 to April 3, 2015. 

We also got minor, assumed, confirmation that Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will return for the Avatar sequels. Plot details for the sequel have yet to be released, but we do know that their characters will have children and will be filmed entirely in New Zealand. We won't see Avatar 2 until 2016 while Avatar 3 and Avatar 4 are set for 2017 and 2018. 

Matt Reeves to direct third Planet of the Apes

Fox must have some crazy confidence in Matt Reeves as they have signed him to return and direct a third Planet of the Apes film. This comes before the second, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, has even been released. Reeves stepped in to direct the sequel after Rupert Wyatt departed the planned trilogy after Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The upcoming follow up takes place 15-years after the events of the first film. In addition to the news of Reeves returning, it is also possible that he might co-write the screenplay with Mark Bomback.


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on July 11, 2014.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - First Trailer

Holy shit. Those apes look fantastic.

SDCC: First image from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

We got our first image of Caesar from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Such a tongue twister.

Director Matt Reeves warned guests at Comic-Con that the footage of the apes was limited due to the fact that it takes 10-12 weeks to render a single ape, but we do have enough to see Caesar wearing some war paint. I still think the apes look ridiculously real. I am excited for this one.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes starts on July 18, 2014.

#SDCC #PlanetOfTheApes #20thCenturyFox

Judy Greer joins Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Judy Greer (Archer, Arrested Development) has joined the cast of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The catch? She has landed the role of the lead female ape named Cornelia. Yes, that means she will be doing some motion capture work with Andy Serkis.

Other cast members include Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Jason Clarke. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on May 23, 2014.

Keri Russell cast in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I like the way this cast is going.

Keri Russell, who is currently starring in the FX show The Americans, has joined the cast of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The role she has secured is unspecified right now, but it is most likely a human female lead. This will be Russell's second collaboration with director Matt Reeves. She was previously on the TV-show Felicity which Reeves created.

Recent additions to the cast include Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Kodi Smit-McPhee cast in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

After the addition of Jason Clarke last week the cast seems to be gaining some more momentum with the announcement of another lead role. Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, ParaNorman) has been cast in another unspecified lead role. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place 15 years after the events of the first film and focuses on the human survivors struggling to survive in San Francisco. The thing that confuses me a bit about McPhee's casting is he is still a teenager which means he would have been a baby/toddler when the monkey virus outbreak happens at the end of the first one, but they might make his character a little older than he is. Either that or maybe he's playing Clarke's son or something.
This marks the second Matt Reeves film that McPhee will appear in. McPhee had a lead role in Let Me In back in 2010. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sixth film added to McPhee's busy schedule. His upcoming projects also include A Birder's Guide to Everything, The Congress, Romeo and Juliet, The Wilderness of James, and The Young Ones.


I'm excited for this because I actually like Kodi Smit-McPhee for what it's worth. I loved him in Let Me In and I think as far as voice work went he did a great job in ParaNorman. Then again, I liked ParaNorman in general. I'm curious to see exactly what role he will have.

Casting news for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Not only will Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (damn that is a tongue twister) take place 15 years after the first film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but it now has its first star. Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Lawless, Public Enemies) has been cast in a lead role in what has said to be a story about human scientists struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. The plot is unconfirmed as director Matt Reeves is keeping it tightly under wraps, but either way it should be interesting. Especially since it seems like James Franco will not be returning to star in the sequel.

Look forward to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes which is set for release on May 23, 2014 in 3D.

James Franco may not return for Apes sequel

I am one of the people who assumed James Franco would return for the Planet of the Apes sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. However, with a recent MTV interview Franco revealed he might not return after all.

“I was going to be a small part of the next one. There was a moment when Rupert Wyatt was going to direct the second one. A lot of the human characters that were in the first movie were dead in the sequel that Rupert was going to direct. But there was one scene, between Caesar and my character, maybe even just like on a video that was left behind, but then a lot of things happened, like [former Fox co-chairman] Tom Rothman who was a big part of the first movie, left. Now Rupert’s not a part of it so I don’t know. My guess is I won’t be in it. Nobody’s talked to me since Rupert left.”

Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) is attached to direct and it has been confirmed that Andy Serkis will return for more motion-capture to bring Caesar back to life, but no other names have been mentioned. Aside from Franco the only other person I can see realistically returning, as John Lithgow bit the dust, is Freida Pinto. There is still plenty of time for them to get Franco on board if they want and if he wants, though. The movie isn't set for release until May 2014.