The Scorecard Review news
News: Keri Russell is joining the cast of Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. She joins Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Gary Oldman in the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The film is set to be released on May 23, 2014. Source: Variety
Thoughts by TSR: Well, I guess this settles it. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is my new favorite movie. Sure, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but just look at this cast! Last month we learned about the involvement of Zero Dark Thirty’s Jason Clarke. Clarke, Andy Serkis returning as Caesar, and Matt Reeves directing would have been enough for me. Then Gary Oldman joined the cast as leader of the human resistance, thus boosting my excitement even higher. Now we have Keri Russell’s casting to cement this as an early contender for my most anticipated film of summer 2014.
I love Keri Russell – her performance in 2007’s Waitress is one of my favorites of that year – but she doesn’t get enough good opportunities in features. Sadly, her most notable roles since Waitress are Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler and Extraordinary Measures. Things are looking up for Russell these days, though. She’s giving what might be my favorite female performance on TV right now on FX’s Cold War drama “The Americans” (yes, I’m including Claire Danes on “Homeland”). And now she’s going to be involved in this very promising sequel.
As we’ve heard, the film will be set 15 years after the first. It will follow both a group of scientists fighting to survive in San Francisco and Caesar attempting to maintain control of his ape kingdom. There’s no word on what Russell’s role will be, but I’d like seeing her and Jason Clarke working side by side. No matter who they’ll be playing, my faith in this project continues to grow.