‘War of the Planet of the Apes’ Casts Newcomer in ‘Key Role’

It’s been a little while since we had an update on the third installment in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise. So far, we know Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is on board to helm the sequel, with screenwriter Mark Bomback also returning. Today brings the first piece of casting for the film, which is operating under the working title War of the Planet of the Apes and has just cast newcomer Gabriel Chavarria in a leading role.

THR reports that Chavarria is in talks to land what’s being described as a “key role” in the sequel, which doesn’t tell us a whole lot since plot details are still unknown. Chavarria made his acting debut in 2007's Freedom Writers and has appeared in the shows East Los High and Aquarius. He also stars in Universal’s upcoming Low Riders movie, which examines the lives of low rider car enthusiasts in southern California.

Last fall, Matt Reeves hinted at what’s in store for Caesar, the central primate character portrayed by Andy Serkis:

The first one is sort of how [Caesar] goes from humble beginnings to becoming a revolutionary. In ‘Dawn,’ he really rose to occasion of becoming a leader in really challenging and difficult times. The notion of what we’re after with the third is to sort of continue that trajectory and see how he becomes a seminal figure in ape history. He almost becomes sort of like an ape Moses. A mythic status… We’re trying to play out those themes and continue to sort of explore it in this universe. Exploring human nature under the guise of apes.

Serkis himself has said that the series could run for more than three films, while confirming that we’ll eventually end up at the Planet of the Apes — though he’s unsure if they’ll get there in the third film or another sequel.

War of the Planet of the Apes is currently set for a July 14, 2017 release.