Newcomer Gabriel Chavarria Cast as Lead in ‘War of the Planet of the Apes’

Rise of the Planet of the Apes turned out to be one of the surprise hits of the summer of 2011, and the film’s sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, added to the success of the resurgent franchise with an even bigger box office haul. Both of those films starred the overlooked Andy Serkis (Avengers: Age of Ultron) as Caesar, the de facto leader of the surging civilization of apes taking over earth. Still, both films also had human counterparts to level the narrative between the ape plot line and the human one. James Franco (True Story) and Jason Clarke (Terminator Genisys) respectively helped drive the story of Caesar’s uprise in the first two films, and now it looks like newcomer Gabriel Chavarria (A Better Life) will follow suit in the third installment.

Chavarria is said to be playing one of two key human roles in the film, following in the tradition of the previous films. While there is still no official word on Serkis joining War of the Planet of the Apes, the expectation is that the actor will be back. Serkis has a busy upcoming schedule, as he’s set to be in The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Jungle Book: Origins, and Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther film. Chavarria, on the other hand, has been making the rounds on television programs like Southland, Major Crimes, Gang Related, Hulu’s East Los High, and Aquarius. He’s also set to star in the upcoming film Low Riders.

Director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) is set to return for War of the Planet of the Apes. The director had previously helmed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, while Rupert Wyatt (The Gambler) directed the first film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.