Jason Clarke of 'Zero Dark Thirty' has signed on to lead 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,' Matt Reeves' sequel to 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and this is exciting news.

While Jessica Chastain was certainly the star of 'Zero Dark Thirty,' her co-star Jason Clarke gave one hell of a breakout performance, and we've been excited to see what he does next -- the wait is over!

THR reports that Clarke has just signed on to lead the cast of 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,' the sequel to 2011's surprise hit 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' Directed by Matt Reeves, this sequel takes place 15 years after the first film and will focus on two stories: the first is about a group of scientists -- presumably led by Clarke -- who are trying to survive and maintain life in a post-ape-apocalyptic San Francisco, and the other story features Caesar, the lead ape from the first film, as he struggles to keep his dominance over the ape kingdom. Andy Serkis will reprise his motion-capture role as Caesar, the highly intelligent chimp.

The film will start shooting this spring for a release next year.

Clarke can also be seen in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby.'

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