On Oct. 17, Director Matt Reeves tweeted a photo to mark the first day of shooting for the next installment of "Planet of the Apes." The scene may be familiar to fans who have followed the franchise from the first film released in 1968. The photo shows a silhouette of two actors: one on horseback and the other wearing a motion-capture suit along the beach.
What's so special about the silhouette photo? "Apes" aficionados might recall a significant moment in the original "Planet of the Apes" when Charlton Heston's character, George Taylor, sees a wrecked Statue of Liberty and realizes that he's currently standing on a destroyed Earth, disguised as an unknown planet. "Damn you! Damn you all to hell!" Taylor cries in frustration upon his realization.
#It has begun. @ApesMovies pic.twitter.com/6AZVzWfJXW
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) October 17, 2015
In his tweet, Reeves writes "#It has begun." The director did not disclose the full title of the film, or clarify whether the caption has anything to do with the war in the film's plot. Perhaps Reeves just wants to give everyone a glimpse of the first day of filming. While rumors have been circulating that the third film in the prequel trilogy of the "Apes" franchise will be entitled "War for the Planet of the Apes," there is still no confirmation regarding the final title.
The third "Planet of the Apes" film will see the return of Andy Serkis as Caesar, who was also the protagonist of the 2005 reboot. The film will also introduce a new villain called "The Colonel," who will be played by Woody Harrelson. Amiah Miller, Gabriel Chavarria, Mercedes de la Zerda, and Steve Zahn will also join the cast.
The "War for the Planet of the Apes" is penned by Matt Reeves and Mark Bomback. The film will hit theaters in July 2017.
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