“War for the Planet of the Apes” is set fifteen years after a
scientific experiment had gone wrong that gave rise to the intelligent
Apes and almost wiped out the human race. The colonists and apes
struggled to coexist but their fragile peace was shattered and Caesar
(played by Andy Serkis), leader of the apes, attempted to restore
order. But there was no turning back from the brutal fighting that has
already begun.
At heart, this is the story of both a military and emotional last
stand. As peace between species has collapsed -- and a renegade band of
human soldiers led by an imperious Colonel (Woody Harrelson) makes a
final, all-out attack -- Caesar is hit with an unimaginable personal
loss and a dark line inside his psyche is crossed. Now, he is wrestling
with merciless impulses and roiling doubts about his own ability to
inspire the apes towards freedom. But if the apes are to survive the
coming conflict, Caesar must lead. In a time when empathy and
compassion have nearly vanished both in the world and his heart, Caesar
searches for the grit, sense of fellowship and striving vision to lead
the apes towards a future of hope.
The enchanted quality of new character, Nova, did not escape director
Matt Reeves and scribe Mark Bomback. Bomback says, “Here is a little,
seemingly orphaned girl living with apes – Matt and I immediately
thought she seemed like a character out of a fairytale. From Goldilocks
to Little Red Riding Hood, there’s a whole tradition of stories about
little girls in the woods with dangerous animals who nevertheless become
their protectors. That’s part of the inspiration for Nova. And the
name Nova of course is a bit of an Easter egg from the original film.”
“One of the beautiful things about Nova is that even in this divided
world, you see there are apes and humans who are able to form deep
emotional relationships,” says Peter Chernin. “In that moment when
Caesar is in the darkest place, when he wants to hate all humans, Nova
touches him in a way no one else can. In Nova, we’re also seeing the
growth of the Simian Virus and what survival means to humans.”
Taking the part, an especially demanding and complex one for a child
actor, is 12 year-old Amiah Miller in her first major feature. Reeves
describes how Miller won the role: “Amiah is such an intuitive young
actor. When she came in to audition we threw away the script and I just
asked her to relate to the apes. It was clear right then that she was
special and had a talent way beyond her years. She and the actors
became like a family. She has a bright future ahead of her, I can't
wait to see what she does.”
Says
producer Dylan Clark: “Matt, our casting director Deb Zane and I were
all in agreement that there was only one young actor to bring in for the
role of Nova and it was Amiah.”
“War for the Planet of the Apes” opens July 12 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.
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