Nifty Promo Teaser and First Look at Caesar in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Roundup

Following up on the unexpected success of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this second, or seventh (or eighth if you count the Tim Burton version) installment in the 45 year-old franchise, entitled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, goes 15 years into the future to see how well the apes and humans are getting along. Above, you see Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his ape tribe brought to life by the technical wizards over at WETA.

While director Rupert Wyatt stepped out, Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) has stepped in as director to tell the story of Caesar, the apes and the last stand of humanity.Serkisreturns as Caesar but otherwise the cast is entirely new with James Franco stepping out of the lead role that he filled in the first installment. Joining Serkis are newcomers Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Judy Greer, Jason Clarke and Kodi Smit-McPhee

Similar to the mid-credits sequence in the conclusion of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this promo video takes the stance of a PSA, warning humans about the risks of Simian Flu. It’s a pretty nifty little piece of marketing and I appreciate the novel approach that they’re going after.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is directed by Matt Reeves and stars Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Judy Greer, Jason Clarke and Kodi Smit-McPhee. It hits theaters July 18, 2014.