Oscar-nominee Gary Oldman has been tapped to play the leader of the Human resistance in Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
This is the third major casting announcement for the film in recent weeks. Jason Clarke and Kodi Smit-McPhee were both cast in lead roles in the film, which is eyeing a production start this Spring. Andy Serkis is also set to reprise his motion-capture performance of Ceasar.
Mike Fleming of Deadline writes of the role, “I’m told that Oldman will play Dreyfus, leader of the human resistance after the apes have taken power.”
While little is known about the nature of the film’s plot, The Hollywood Reporter revealed some details a few weeks ago:
One focus is on the group of human scientists who are struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. Another aspect of the story is the struggle of intelligent ape Caesar, played by a returning Andy Serkis, to maintain dominance over his kingdom.
The cast so far is certainly an interesting one, and we expect to see more details arise as the production date nears. Fox has set a May 23, 2014 release date the film.