We definitely live in an age that is completely defined by behemoth blockbuster franchises, and arguably no franchise has managed to reinvent itself quite like Planet Of The Apes. Initially a B-grade sci-fi series, the franchise has utilized modern technology (as well as Andy Serkis' amazing mo-cap chops) and crafted a genuinely compelling narrative about a battle between two warring species. The reinvention of the series has definitely worked, but now it appears that War For The Planet Of The Apes will tie back into the original 1968 classic by including a young version of Linda Harrison's character, Nova.
A new report from EW indicates that War For The Planet Of The Apes will indeed feature a young version of Nova in its story. Portrayed by Amiah Miller, the character has already been confirmed to be the very same character portrayed by Linda Harrison during the events of 1968's Planet Of The Apes. Nova will take the form of a young, mute girl who Caesar (Andy Serkis) finds and eventually develops a bond with. She represents the duality of the ape protagonist, and embodies his conflicted nature; Caesar's grip on mercy and empathy has been slowly slipping away, and Nova may be has last chance for some form of redemption.
Up until now, the Planet Of The Apes franchise has maintained little more than a tenuous connection to the original continuity of the series. When Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes debuted back in 2011, the franchise framed itself as a far more grounded and gritty reinvention of the series, but with each passing installment we have see the franchise move closer and closer to the universe we all know and love. The apes have learned to communicate by speaking, they can ride horses, and now they even use guns. Nova seems like the final piece of the puzzle, as the character may actually end up bridging the continuity of the franchise at some point over the course of the next few movies.
Nova has become one of the most iconic characters from the Planet Of The Apes lore since her debut in 1968. A woman indigenous to the mysterious planet -- later revealed to be Earth -- that Taylor (Charlton Heston) crash lands on, she is mute and naïve to the concept of human dominance over apes. The sequels would slowly but surely give her more intelligence (as well as the ability to speak), but War For The Planet of The Apes appears to be really going all in on the concept of Nova as a genuinely empathetic main character.
Of course, we should obviously note that her presence in the film doesn't necessarily guarantee anything. The inclusion of Nova in War For The Planet Of The Apes is incredibly telling, but it doesn't inherently mean that we will see the events of the 1968 Charlton Heston classic incorporated into this new continuity at any point; it simply means that the door is open for such an event to happen somewhere down the line. If the prevalence of reboots has taught us anything, it's that characters can transcend continuity and pop up in different timelines.
CinemaBlend will keep you up to date regarding all of the latest and greatest details related to the Planet Of The Apes franchise as new information becomes available to us. War For The Planet Of The Apes will blast its way into theaters on July 14, 2017.
Check out the latest trailer for War For The Planet Of The Apes on the next page for an even more in-depth look at the upcoming sequel!
