Whenever someone is creating something, it’s pretty safe to say that there’s always an element of themselves that’s wondering how people are going to like it. Will they understand what I was going for by doing this? Or is this point made clear enough? That’s why artists can be meticulous in tweaking their work and showing off the best product they possibly can. Well, in an effort to do something special at New York Comic Con, ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ director Matt Reeves threw caution to the wind and told that little voice to get lost as he (along with star Andy Serkis and producer Dylan Clark) shared unfinished, never-before-seen footage from his latest project for the sake of giving his audience some insight into the process of filmmaking that comes with performance capture.
In a way, Reeves exposed himself and his vulnerability to the audience by unveiling this clip to this select group of convention attendees. The lengthy clip involving an unlikely collection of highly emotional individuals coming together not only offered an unprecedented look at the intense performances delivered by Serkis, Karin Konoval, and their co-stars in the upcoming film, but also showed a fascinating side by side comparison of the actors and their digitally created ape counterparts that shared their precise facial expressions and nuanced feelings.
The following day, ScienceFiction.com had the opportunity to speak with Reeves about this nerve-wracking experience and the crowd’s positive reaction to it. We also delved into his working relationship with Serkis and performance capture technology, as well as the possibility of the current ‘Apes’ movies catching up to the classic ones. You can check out the interview below, followed by the official synopsis of the upcoming film:
In ‘War for the Planet of the Apes,’ the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.
‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Karin Konoval, Amiah Miller, and Terry Notary hits theaters on July 14, 2017.
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