Brian Cox to monkey around in RISE OF THE APES
Brian Cox has joined what is rapidly becoming the impressive cast of RISE OF THE APES, the pseudo prequel to 1968′s PLANET OF THE APES. RISE, set in present day San Francisco, chronicles the beginnings of the primate’s advanced intelligence brought on by a scientist’s revolutionary experiments with the simians.
Cox is in final negotiations to play an owner of a primate sanctuary who isn’t exactly what you would call an “animal lover” and most likely not a PETA card holder. The character actor would join Don Cheadle, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, and James Franco who will play the young scientist. Andy Serkis is also set to star via motion capture as Caesar, the leader of the shrewdness so to speak. (You may remember the character as the chimp that eventually leads the revolt seen in 1972′s CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES). This will mark the first film in the franchise that will feature photorealistic creature effects versus costumed actors. WETA digital will be responsible for the CGI.
RISE will be helmed by Rupert Wyatt, who directed Cox in 2008′s prison flick THE ESCAPIST, with a script from Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa (THE RELIC).
Check out the official plot synopsis from Fox after the break!
RISE OF THE APES (tentative title) is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
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