War for the Planet of the Apes: new trailer shows Woody Harrelson's Colonel take on Caesar

A dramatic new trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series, shows Woody Harrelson's Colonel making one last stand for humanity, attempting to lead an army against ape ruler Caesar (played via motion capture by Andy Serkis) and his followers.

War for the Planet of the Apes

Previously, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), showed how Caesar, the son of a female used in laboratory experiments, rose from being the adopted pet of a medical researcher to a fearsome freedom fighter and leader.

The new film will be Reeves's second in the rebooted series: he previously directed "Dawn", although "Rise" was directed by Rupert Wyatt. 

War for the Planet of the Apes

A fourth film in Fox's rebooted series is also currently in the works, and was announced last year.

Yesterday, a short teaser for "War", released ahead of the latest trailer, harked back to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes film, featuring the voice of its star Charlton Heston in a voiceover taken from the film (and based on a speech by the writer and Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner).

“I refuse to accept the end of man,” Heston declares in the audio clip. “I believe he will endure. He will prevail.” 

“Not because alone among God’s creatures he has a voice. But because he has a soul, spirit capable of compassion and endurance."

Of course, for fans of the franchise, who know exactly what happens next, this confidence rings somewhat hollow.

War for the Planet of the Apes is released on July 14 2017.

 

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