More RISE OF THE APES Casting!!

Merrick here...
The great Brian Cox will join the already announced James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow and Andy Serkis in Rupert Wyatt's RISE OF THE APES - 20th Century Fox's pseudo-remake, pseudo-imagining of THE PLANET OF THE APES' origin story.

Cox is in final negotiations to play the villainous owner of a primate sanctuary who runs the facility without compassion for the animals that live there. James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow and Andy Serkis star in the "Planet of the Apes" prequel that Wyatt is directing from a script by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. [EDIT] A chimp named Caesar (Serkis) leads the uprising among the apes after having been raised by Lithgow and Franco's father-and-son scientist characters. [EDIT] WETA digital is rendering photo-realistic apes for the first time in the franchise, as opposed to using costumed actors.

...says TheWrap HERE. In this instance, I'm hoping "photo-realistic apes" work out better than Peter Jackson's KING KONG. Admittedly, this isn't an entirely fair comparison in many regards, but it stands as a cautionary tale nonetheless. Meanwhile, if you haven't had a chance to do so yet, consider checking out the APES Blu-Ray megaset issued not too long ago - it's a really nice compilation. CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (which is among the source material being reworked for RISE) has an alternate version than appeared in theaters and TV over the years, incorporating material that makes for a harder film. You can find it HERE
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