Just one month afterWoody Harrelsoncame aboard to play thehuman villaininWar for the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox’s sequel has added a brand new ape as well.The Wrapreports thatSteve Zahnhas signed on to play an unidentified ape in the sequel, but it isn’t known how his primate character fits into the sequel’s story. It’s possible that he has some sort of connection with the ape leader, Caesar, portrayed byAndy Serkis, but we don’t know for certain.
We also reported in August thatGabriel Chavarria(Lowriders) is being eyed for one of two main human roles inWar for the Planet of the Apes, whose character was compared toJames Franco’s Will Rodman in 2011’sRise of the Planet of the Apes. No plot details have been released yet, but the title is certainly quite revealing, teasing an all-out war between the apes and the humans that was set in motion during last year’s blockbusterDawn of the Planet of the Apes. While there was a 15-year time gap betweenRise of the Planet of the ApesandDawn of the Planet of the Apes, directorMatt Reevesconfirmed this summer that there won’t be a huge time jump withWar for the Planet of the Apes.
As forSteve Zahn’s character, while it isn’t known who he’s playing yet, it’s possible this character could be taking over as Caesar’s second-in-command. InDawn of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar’s right-hand ape Koba (Toby Kebbell) was killed, after he betrayed his leader. It’s certainly possible that this new character played bySteve Zahncould be taking over as Caesar’s trusted advisor, but we don’t know for sure. Last month’s report revealed thatWoody Harrelson’s character is only known as The Colonel, but that’s all we know about his character at this point.
Dawn of the Planet of the ApesdirectorMatt Reevesis returning to the helm onWar for the Planet of the Apes. The director is working from a script he co-wrote withMark Bomback, who wrote the script for last year’sDawn of the Planet of the ApesalongsideRick JaffaandAmanda Silver. Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin is producing alongside Dylan Clark,Rick JaffaandAmanda Silver.
Steve Zahnvoices Thunderclap in Pixar’s upcominganimatedmovieThe Good Dinosaur, and he will also be seen inAdam Sandler’sThe Ridiculous Six, which debuts onNetflixDecember 11. The actor also has roles in upcoming projects such asCaptain Fantasticand Robodog, neither of which have official release dates set at this time.
