Jason Clarke made waves in Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty last year. Now, the actor makes the leap to a major tentpole property.
The Hollywood Reporter relays that Clarke will star in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for Fox. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) occupies the director’s seat, instead of Rupert Wyatt, who helmed prequel Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The script comes from Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard, Total Recall).
Dawn takes place 15 years after Rise, which starred James Franco. The film will focus on human scientists in San Francisco, taking survival challenges as they come, and the ape Caesar (who’ll once again be interpreted by mo-cap superstar Andy Serkis) maintaining control over the other apes. Who Clarke will play is a mystery, but my guess is that he’s one of the San Francisco scientists.
Clarke has a rather full calendar, with The Great Gatsby (hitting theaters later this year) and, now, Dawn. He’s been working in the industry for quite some time, and considering his talent, it’s great to see him snag what might be his biggest role yet.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes should begin shooting this spring and film aims for release on May 23, 2014.
