So according to numerous members of the press who had the good fortune to visit the set of ‘War for the Planet of the Apes,’ there was one big mystery on set that neither cast nor crew was willing to discuss, which of course made it all the more interesting. Who exactly is Steve Zahn playing? They learned that he was playing an ape, and got some character information about the ape in question, but the name of the ape would not be revealed, leading many to believe it will be a character we had already met before, perhaps Cornelius or Dr. Zaius? Only theories for now as he could be playing any number of characters we might recognize from the world, but it is intriguing nonetheless. However, the cast and crew did drop some tidbits about the character, the direction of the sequel, and the world at large, which you can read below:
According to producer Dylan Clark:
“Steve Zahn plays an Ape — a cool Ape…We introduce Steve Zahn’s character and that should put into the audience’s mind – ‘Oh if this ape’s here, are the apes in France smart? Are they ever going to get to Germany and China?… [We really wanted to focus on] meeting new apes. All of the sudden where did this guy come from? How is he able to talk? Are other apes in the world smart? We’re constantly looking ahead for what else we might want to do in this world. How else can we show the evolution of these characters? Who else can we bring in both on the human side and the ape side? …You’re going to get a global perspective on the state of the world… Steve Zahn’s going to show up and give us a taste of the possibility and the question of what else might be out there… Much like the Spanish Flu of 1918, the virus has mutated. So it hasn’t stopped. It’s the gift that keeps on giving in the worst possible way…”
Terry Notary (Rocket) did reveal that:
“[Zahn’s] a real light in this film, a sprite of good spirit. I think everybody’s going to go – ‘Oh he’s that. Cool. I love that guy.’ He’s a good element in this film for taking us in new directions and leading us off into this thing and lighting up certain heaviness. Because it’s a very dark, heavy movie and it needed this little bubble to break things up and he’s playing that really well.”
Who do you think Steve Zahn is playing? Are you excited for ‘War of the Planet of the Apes?’ If Zahn is playing an ape from the original film, are you excited to be seeing more links to the original popping up? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: Collider
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
