First the apes rose, then they experienced the dawn. Now comes the war. War for the Planet of the Apes is less than a year away, and while some interesting casting announcements came last year, it's been months since we learned anything substantial about the threequel. Fortunately, a general plot synopsis has finally been released, giving us a general idea of what this intense story will be about.
Following the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes will see the apes drawn into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by "ruthless Colonel" (played by Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer "tremendous losses," Caesar will be forced to tap into his darker side and do whatever it takes to avenge his fellow primates. This will eventually culminate in him coming face to face with the Colonel, and the subsequent battle will decide the fate of not just both species, but the entire planet.
Along with the plot synopsis, 20th Century Fox also announced that War for the Planet of the Apes will debut a behind-the-scenes look and never-before seen footage. Of course, for something like this, you need members of the cast and crew there to present, and that'll be handled by Andy Serkis, director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark. Ideally the footage they show will later be released to the public, if not a general teaser trailer.
In contrast to the original Planet of the Apes movie series and beginning in the future, the Apes reboot series has been slowly laying the groundwork for how Earth becomes dominated by the super-intelligent apes hundreds of years from now. Rise of the Planet of the Apes used a special virus to a special drug to increase the apes' intelligence and introduce the virus that wiped out nearly all of humanity. Dawn of the Planet Apes explored the ape colony near San Francisco's ruins and how the remnants of humanity have been coping. For the third movie, it's war, and judging by the synopsis, this is the closest we're coming to original Apes territory yet.
When we last left Caesar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, he had defeated the traitorous Koba, but sadly, the damage between the ape and human populations was already done. Before he died, Gary Oldman's character, Dreyfus, had managed to contact with survivors cooped up as a military base in the north, and they were sending reinforcements. It's unclear how many years will have passed when War for the Planet of the Apes begins, but Caesar and his legion will already be in conflict with these armed humans. It's winner take all, and keep in mind that the future may not end up looking exactly like the original Planet of the Apes.
War for the Planet of the Apes will be released in theaters on July 14, 2017.
