Andy Serkis has played Caesar in three movies - Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War For the Planet of the Apes. Making him pretty much the expert when it comes to monkeying around onscreen. So we asked him for tips and advice for someone hoping to follow in his footsteps.War For the Planet of the Apes hits arrives on Digital October 10 and Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD on October 24.

Andy Serkis's Tips For Playing an Ape

Andy Serkis discusses "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" at Comic-Con 2013

Planet Of The Apes

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes - Andy Serkis - Comic-Con 2013

Andy Serkis says there's more to come in the Planet of the Apes franchise, and reveals that he's already having conversations with director Matt Reeves about continuing the story.While visiting FANDOM's Comic-Con studio, Serkis said new film War For the Planet of the Apes is "the final part of a chapter in the apes history" but added that there's lots more to explore.You can watch the video interview above, while War is in cinemas now, and hits Blu-ray, Digital and 4k in October.

Andy Serkis Thinks There's More to Explore in the 'Apes' Franchise

Interview from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Andy Serkis Interview Part 2

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Andy Serkis Inteview Part 1

The War for the Planet of the Apes trailer is here. In the third chapter of the critically acclaimed Apes franchise, starring Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. War for the Planet of the Apes hits theaters everywhere July 14, 2017.

War for the Planet of the Apes

In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the Apes 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 opens on July 14, 2017.

'War for the Planet of the Apes' Trailer

Clip from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - "Apes Do Not Want War" Clip

 Andy Serkis is known as the master of motion capture, providing compelling performances for characters including Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films and the titular character in Peter Jacksons King Kong. He also, of course, performs as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise. But mo-cap newcomer Steve Zahn is giving him a run for his money as new chimp in the Apes camp, Bad Ape. And while Serkis might have been able to provide performance capture tips on set to newbie Steve Zahn, its actor and movement coach Terry Notary who works closely with the actors to get them all moving and acting like primates. FANDOM asked Steve Zahn to show us how to act ape.  Terry works from a totally different spot, he begins. He works from right here [points to chest]. Internalizing this character, this being, this chimpanzee. For Zahn, its partly about shedding inhibitions. With Terry, the first thing is, like, we posture, he says. Everything we do, we hold ourselves, were consciously aware of our bodies. A chimpanzee doesnt. They hold their centre, they breathe out, their stomach hangs out. They dont care about that. But its not lazy, theres a lot of strength there. When we turn our head and look at something its totally different. Their whole body turns. Theres a different focus. The focus kind of follows. Its all connected, how they move.                                                               Zahn observed apes to better understand them: I was always fascinated with the ape that just kind of sat there. And I would think: How is that different to me sitting there being bored? Its totally different. And its just this kind of internal peace. In the film, Zahns Bad Ape character has taught himself to speak. Not quite as proficient as Caesar, he retains a lot of simian characteristics in his communication techniques. I remember I started, like, I would talk and when I talked and said Os I would always point to my mouth and go O. And I thought, Oh, thats [from] when I was taught [to speak].  His final words of advice? Dont overthink it, he says. If you just came on set, I would try not to move too much. I would just think strength but think peace. Peaceful strength. Watch Zahns monkeying around in the video above (yeah, we know theyre not monkeys). War For the Planet of the Apes is released in the UK on July 11 and in the US on July 14.

How To Be An Ape With War For the Planet of the Apes Actor Steve Zahn

Planet of the Apes is a franchise that has always had a surprising level of maturity and complexity to it, and that has been exceptionally displayed with the recent reboot films. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a great introduction to Caesar, the first ape to gain intelligence and rebel against humanity. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opened the world up and showed us the beginnings of ape civilization and the downfall of humanity. Now, War for the Planet of the Apes concludes one part of the saga as Caesar must battle against a zealous Colonel and find a new home for his family. War for the Planet of the Apes is jaw-dropping. Its the first in the new series to be completely from the apes perspective and its about time. The only human characters - minus the mute child Nova who is basically one of the apes - are villains that offer the biggest and most personal threat to Caesar and his friends weve seen yet. It should be noted that War for the Planet of the Apes is dark. Not in a take me seriously way like other genre blockbusters, but in an emotional and textual way. This is a movie that gets to a core belief that stems all the way back to the original film: mankind is doomed and its their own damn fault. Its shocking to see a tentpole film deal with such a nihilistic concept, but its explored in such a fascinating way that it never feels maudlin or manipulative. So much of that is due to how compelling Caesar and the apes are. Their story is the one of hope and triumph. Director Matt Reeves and co-writer Mark Bomback blatantly draw from the biblical story of Moses and apply this classic character arc to Caesar in extraordinarily moving sequences. Andy Serkis has never been better in these films, and his performance (along with the other motion capture actors) nevers gets lost in the unbelievably real effects that bring the apes to life. And you will fall in love with Steve Zahns Bad Ape, the funniest and most touching character the series has ever produced. This is also a phenomenal blockbuster. The action is tense and exhilarating, but never showy or shallow. Every big moment is weighted by character motivations and personal conflict. Nothing feels beholden to some unseen plot thats moving things along simply to move things along. Its a true testament to the value of characters over story. War for the Planet of the Apes gets a 5 out of 5. Forget Star Wars and superheroes, this is the platinum standard for blockbuster filmmaking. Its the best entry in the rebooted series and might be the best film in the entire saga. Its a genuinely risky and powerfully adult tale told with the biggest canvas possible. If this is where this new series ends, its an incredible sendoff as well as the best summer tentpole film of 2017.

'War for the Planet of the Apes' Is the Best in the Entire Series

War for the Planet of the Apes continues the popular film series that was rebooted back in 2011. Check out our Quick Guide to learn some facts you may not know!

A Quick Guide to 'War for the Planet of the Apes'

Andy Serkis and Video Games

The Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs don't nominate performance-capture work for the big awards, but Andy Serkis thinks that will change very soon.Serkis stopped by FANDOM's Comic-Con studio to discuss all things War For the Planet of the Apes - including his incredible performance as Caesar - and explained that he thinks the entertainment industry attitude towards mo-cap is changing fast.

Andy Serkis Thinks Mo-Cap Acting Will Soon be Considered For the Big Awards

Latest trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Trailer 3

Fans of the original Planet of the Apes film from 1968 will remember Nova  the mute, primitive woman played by Linda Harrison encountered by Charlton Hestons astronaut, Taylor. In War For the Planet of the Apes, were also introduced to a character called Nova, a mute human girl. But director Matt Reeves dispels the notion that this is one and the same character. Obviously, Nova is a character who relates to Nova  isnt literally Nova  but is related to the trajectory of why cant the humans speak, says Reeves. Well, Nova is our answer for why the humans dont speak in the 68 movie. She exists as an homage to that film rather than a direct link. Although with the plan for the rebooted films to lead up to the point where Planet of the Apes picks up, its possible that she could be a forebear of the Nova we meet in the 1968 film, which is set in the year 3978. Nova also seems to exist to offer some kind of hope that there could be a way for humans and simians to co-exist harmoniously, although Reeves suggests that shes simply representative of the kind of humans we might meet on the journey leading up to Planet. I think the Colonel is right, he says of Woody Harrelsons characters belief that mankind is doomed. Because we know in the 68 film that thats the world it becomes. So we were acting in that manner, which is to say that it ends up a planet of the apes, in which the humans are their cattle  which is literally what Woody says. But were still not there yet so how that journey works and which intelligent humans we might encounter from here to there and all of those details are like the giant Russian novel, the chapters of the Russian novel that takes us to the end of the story. Reeves also says that Nova isnt the only reference to the original films. The Alpha Omega, thats a reference to Beneath the Planet of the Apes, says Reeves. In War, the Alpha Omega symbol is associated with a renegade military unit headed up by Woody Harrelsons Colonel. In Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the symbol is found on an atomic bomb. Theres a lot of details that these films all sort of vibrate against. Its not like were ever meaning to remake, but were trying to exist in the context, explains Reeves. War For the Planet of the Apes hits screens in the UK on July 11 and in the US on July 14.

War For the Planet of the Apes' Nova Is Not the Same Character From the Original Film

As the final trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes arrives, FANDOM is getting excited for what could be the film of the summer. From Woody Harrelson's performance to the competition it's up against, Kim and Chris share their thoughts on why this looks set to outstrip the rest.

Why War for the Planet of the Apes Looks Like the Best Summer Blockbuster

A new trailer for 'War of the Planet of the Apes' lets us get a better understanding of the character of Nova. Nova is an important character to the Planet of the Apes mythology. Her inclusion could mean that this new series is starting to get very close to resembling the original films.War of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on July 14.

New 'War for the Planet of the Apes' Trailer Lets Us Meet Nova

Andy Serkis Says 'Star Wars' Snoke is Deeply Wounded

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - "Go" Clip

Debut trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Trailer

The final War for the Planet of the Apes trailer has arrived and it gives us our best glimpse yet of Woody Harrelson's merciless colonel, who delivers some powerful dialogue. He's not alone in that, of course. Chimpanzee Caesar has his fair share of moments that pack a punch. It's the third instalment of the rebooted franchise that began in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes and continued in 2014 with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In War for the Planet of the Apes, the Colonel is looking to end the intelligent race humans created, while Caesar insists they fight only to survive.  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.

See Woody Harrelson's Ruthless Colonel Wage War in War for the Planet of the Apes Trailer

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Final Trailer

20th Century Fox has just released a New York Comic-Con Digital Billboard for 'War for the Planet of the Apes' in Times Square! In 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. In theaters July 17, 2017.

NYCC16 - 'War for the Planet of the Apes' NYCC Digital Billboard

Official trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Official Trailer 

Up Next

With War For the Planet of the Apes in cinemas now, we asked Andy Serkis about filming the film's final, emotionally-charged scene.So SPOILER ALERT! Don't watch the above video if you haven't yet seen the film, but do check it out if you have want to find out how Serkis prepared for the scene and what it was like having to shoot it two-thirds of the way through principal photography.War For the Planet of the Apes is out now, and hits Digital, Blu-Ray and 4k in October.

Jul 23, 2017

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