First Look At Caesar In 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'

We have our first look at the older, angrier and battle-ready Caesar from the upcoming Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The follow-up to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis returns as the revolutionist ape leader, and again providing unparalleled performance capture work that brings the character to life with CGI magic. Joining the cast on the human side this time out are Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, White House Down), Keri Russell (The Americans, Mission: Impossible III) and Gary Oldman.

Director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) offered this update to Collider regarding Dawn's plot as it relates to continuing on ten years after the first installment:

"Caesar talks at the end of the movie, he has some level of speech. I wanted to make sure we’re continuing to go along the path of evolution without missing it, it was so delicious to watch in the first movie. It’s not like now they are talking in verse. Hopefully the movie is emotional and thrilling as you watch the apes come into being … The ape civilization is in the woods, between Vancouver and New Orleans, the world after what happens with the simian virus flu. The two main locales are San Francisco and the Muir Woods where the ape civilization is born. We’ll be doing a little shooting in San Francisco as well. A lot of the Louisiana shooting was to build huge wood sets outside in the woods to add realism, enormous exterior streets. We’re shooting in the rain, in the wind, all on location out in the open in the elements."

Fox also released this viral video in time for Comic-Con warning humanity of the Simian Flu that threatens the population.

Official synopsis from 20th Century Fox:

"A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth¹s dominant species."

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set for July 18, 2014.

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