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‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ trailer takes the battle to a new level

By Rick Marshall Published October 5, 2021

The stakes keep getting higher in the rebooted, wildly successful Planet of the Apes franchise, and the first trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes suggests that the precarious balance between humans and apes could finally be approaching the tipping point.

20th Century Fox released the trailer for the July 2017 film Friday, offering the first glimpse at the third installment of the modern series. This time around, Caesar and the apes face an even more dire threat in the form of a ruthless soldier played by Woody Harrelson, who marshals the remaining human military to exterminate the apes.

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War for the Planet of the Apes is directed by Matt Reeves, who also directed 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The film’s official synopsis reads as follows:

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In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

As the synopsis mentions, the first two films in the rebooted franchise generated considerable critical praise to go along with nearly $1.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, making it one of the most successful franchise reboots in recent years.

Along with Andy Serkis returning to provide the performance-capture acting as Caesar, the film also stars Steve Zahn, Terry Notary, Gabriel Chavarria, Judy Greer, and Karin Konoval.

War for the Planet of the Apes hits theaters July 14, 2017.

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