It’s ape versus human again. With War for the Planet of the Apes set to round out the franchise’s latest trilogy this summer, 20th Century Fox unveiled a new trailer on Thursday at Cinema Con in Las Vegas. The action-packed preview teases the intense war ahead while showing off the impressive visual effects the recent reboots are known for.
In the upcoming film, a new wave of war comes to pass, just as ape Caesar (played by Andy Serkis) predicted at the end of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. This one seems to have higher stakes than ever. The humans are hell-bent on destroying the apes completely because they believe their own survival depends on it.
The trailer highlights the film’s dangerous new antagonist, the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), who clearly has no plans to reciprocate the mercy shown to his kind in the past.
“There are times when it is necessary to abandon our humanity to save humanity,” he says in the trailer.
He may not be the only one to condone deplorable acts, however; the synopsis teases that Caesar “wrestles with his darker instincts” after a horrific attack on the apes. The ape leader becomes determined to get revenge, and the trailer shows that he will eventually get the chance when he faces off against the Colonel himself.
The Matt Reeves-directed sci-fi flick brings back Serkis along with Karin Konoval (Maurice), Judy Greer (Cornelia), and Terry Notary (Terry). The film also stars Steve Zahn and Amiah Miller, who, like Harrelson, are new to the franchise.
War for the Planet of the Apes is scheduled for release on July 14.
