Matt Reeves teases Caesar’s arc in next Planet of the Apes film

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

One of the highlights of the summer movie season for me was Matt Reeves' DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. I found it to be an intelligently-written film that surpassed the previous entry, 2011's RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, in every facet. If you missed seeing it in theaters, the film is scheduled to arrive on Blu-ray and DVD next month (you can pre-order the DVD HERE or grab it on Blu HERE), and certainly deserves a spot in your collection.

We've known for a while that we'd be seeing Reeves tackle the next chapter in the PLANET OF THE APES saga, and now the director has shared a little about what we will see from Andy Serkis' Caesar in the next chapter of the franchise, which is currently planned for release on July 29, 2016. Speaking with Coming Soon, Reeves shared…

“The first one is sort of how [Caesar] goes from humble beginnings to becoming a revolutionary. In ‘Dawn,’ he really rose to occasion of becoming a leader in really challenging and difficult times. The notion of what we’re after with the third is to sort of continue that trajectory and see how he becomes a seminal figure in ape history. He almost becomes sort of like an ape Moses. A mythic status… We’re trying to play out those themes and continue to sort of explore it in this universe. Exploring human nature under the guise of apes.”

Reeves also explained that Serkis' "outsider" take on Caesar is of vital importance to the arc of the character and is something that will certainly carry over to the next film, stating…

"A thing I always found very moving was the concept of a character that was [an outsider]," Reeves adds. "Andy [Serkis] told me the way he played him and the thing that really moved me was that [Caesar] was really all about being an outsider. [He] said that [he] felt [he] was human until the one day it was made clear that that [he isn't]. [He] said it felt like heartbreak. Like, 'Oh, I'm not one of them!' Then he's thrown in with the apes, but he's not one of them either. He's an outsider to both. That was very moving to me because he's an outsider to both but connected to both. He is the unique character in this story to be able to connect between the human and the ape world."

I'm looking forward to seeing what Reeves does with the next PLANET OF THE APES film and we'll be sure to keep you updated with casting and production news as we hear it.