Gary Oldman says Dawn of the Planet of the Apes tells a very human story

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Gary Oldman is not shy from taking on big franchises these days. The actor can do everything from hero to villain in movies big or small, human or monster. But, in his two big films of 2014, Oldman is playing very human characters. This Friday he plays a scientist in the remake of ROBOCOP, but this summer he will be the leader of the human resistance in Matt Reeves‘ sequel, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Picking up after the chaotic ending of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, DAWN shows humanity on the brink of extinction. What happens next may be all out war between human and ape-kind. Speaking with MTV, Oldman shared some intriguing details about his role in the movie.

Saying that his character was a police officer before the fall of humanity, he is elected the de facto leader of the survivors who stumble upon a community of apes. Despite believing the apes had been destroyed in the war between the first film and this one, Oldman and his tribe decide they must eliminate the apes themselves. Making DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES a war movie of sorts, this sounds like a deeper and darker story than we saw in the original. But, Oldman insists there is a human center to the tale.

“He wanted to make it more of a human story,” said Oldman. “He wanted to explore what had happened, and keep it more focused on the human side of it, before the story becomes the PLANET OF THE APES as we know it from the original.”

Matt Reeves is already locked in to direct the third film in the franchise, so one would assume that this movie will end on a note that will allow for the story to continue. Eventually, the films will need to reach the events of the original PLANET OF THE APES, where the humans are enslaved and the animals run the zoo. Will the third film take us in that direction? Will the time travel elements of the original franchise come into play? Whatever the case, I am very excited to see where this can go.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES stars Oldman, Keri Russell, Jason Clarke, and Andy Serkis. It hits theaters on July 11, 2014.