'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Exclusive Blu-ray Clip: Keri Russell Recalls the Shoot, Plus: a Q&A With Director Matt Reeves
There have been eight Planet of the Apes movies, but the most exciting part of the story is yet to come, according to director Matt Reeves. Reeves’ summer blockbuster Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (on Blu-Ray, 3-D Blu-Ray and DVD December 2) brought the franchise into the realm of myth with its tale of two societies, human survivors and hyper-intelligent apes, fighting for dominance in a world ravaged by a deadly virus. Continuing from where Rise of the Planet of the Apes left off in 2011, the film boasts a dazzling level of technical achievement and some intriguing new characters – including a resilient doctor played by Keri Russell, who talks about the production process in our exclusive DVD clip (above).
Reeves has signed on to direct the third installment in the Apes prequel trilogy, which concludes the journey of Caesar, the pioneering ape leader played by Andy Serkis. “It could, I think, be the most emotional story yet…but also a really thrilling and epic story,” says Reeves. In this conversation with Yahoo Movies, the director answers our questions about Caesar’s future, Apes’ dearth of female characters, and the possibility of the prequels re-creating that Statue of Liberty scene.
Russell as Ellie in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Kerri Russell talks in this clip about being the only woman on set. I actually wrote about the lack of parts for women in this summer’s movies, including Apes. Is that something you have given any thought to since this film came out?
Of course, yeah! When that was brought to my attention it resonated with me, and it’s something that we definitely are thinking about moving forward. I always try to think about “What is the right story?” and the characters come out of that, so it is a perspective that we are definitely trying to keep in mind as we plan out the next one.
Concept art from 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes (directed by Rupert Wyatt) was just published online, showing Caesar in the abandoned Statue of Liberty. What are the chances of Lady Liberty making an appearance in the third Apes film?
In the next film, I would say the chances are zero. [Laughs] I’m really glad they cut it from the previous film because in a way, that scene — which I’ve actually seen — was a way to connect it to the ’68 film, that would eliminate the need for all of the films come after Rise. In a way, what we’re doing [withthe Apes trilogy] is what that scene would have done, but we’re doing it in immense detail, in a kind of sweeping epic story.
Cool as the art looks, it does seem like that ending might have been a big leap.
I can see where the instinct came from, because I think that everybody is so captivated by the ending to the original film, that there was this feeling like, “Well, what’s the twist at the end of this film, or what is the big reveal? And should we pay it off in some way that gives you the Statue of Liberty again?” But it’s totally unnecessary.
Any hidden details people should look when they’re watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes on home video?
We have a little Easter egg in the sound in the titles at the end – at the very, very end. And then the big thing is just to be able to have all these additional features where you can take a glimpse behind the curtain and see how we make it. It’s such an unusual process.
Andy Serkis as the rebel leader Caesar
You’ve described the Caesar of the next movie as a kind of Moses character. What does that mean for where the story is headed?
What we want to do is take the movie away from San Francisco, onto a sort of larger landscape, to allow the movie to be expansive but not to lose any of the intimacy. What we have planned out so far is, in a way, the grandest arc and the most emotional arc for Caesar. He’s really challenged in ways that he hasn’t been yet, but in ways that grow right out of the stories that came before. And this notion of our nature, the way in which Planet of the Apes explores the sort of war within us in addition to the war between the species, that’s really going to be central to what this story’s about. It’s going to take Caesar into uncomfortable places that he’s never been before and really test him. It could, I think, be the most emotional story yet, a really powerful story, but also a really thrilling and epic story. So we’re really excited about it.
Photo: AP Photo/Twentieth Century Fox
