‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Actor Jason Clarke Joins ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’
In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a rare blockbuster with brains and heart, managing to be a pleasant surprise to critics and audiences ten years after Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of the original Planet of the Apes. It was also a box office hit, so a sequel was assured, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was greenlit, intended to feature Andy Serkis‘s motion-capture chimpanzee Caesar building a new society in conflict with that of mankind, 15 years after the events of Rise.
The film hit a snag when Rise‘s director, Rupert Wyatt, bailed on the sequel citing a too-short schedule, but with Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield) having been brought in to replace him, the ball is certainly rolling.
Now, breakout Australian actor Jason Clarke has been cast in the lead role – even if, like James Franco in Rise, he winds up taking a back seat to the monkeys. Clarke has had prominent roles in films such as Rabbit-Proof Fence, Death Race, Public Enemies and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Last year, he won acclaim for his roles in Lawless and Best Picture Oscar nominee Zero Dark Thirty. In 2013, he will appear in Baz Luhrmann‘s The Great Gatsby, and as the villain in Roland Emmerich‘s White House Down.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is currently ranked #15 on Flickchart’s list of the Best Movies of 2011. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is currently scheduled for release on May 23, 2014.
via THR