dawnoftheplanetoftheapeshorsebackRise of the Planet of the Apes successfully rebooted the franchise with James Franco and Andy Serkis leading the charge. The movie gave a different take on the apes attaining their knowledge and how humanity’s numbers dwindled.

In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis reprises his role as Caesar. And really, it’s his portrayal that shined in the previous film; his Caesar captivated audiences. James Franco was equally compelling as scientist Will Rodman, who was responsible for Caesar’s evolution. But unfortunately, there’s no signs of Franco in the casting.

On the upside, the movie has Gary Oldman. Joining him and Serkis are Keri Russell and Jason Clarke.

Directing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is Matt Reeves, who directed Let Me In.

The synopsis?

“A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier.  They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.”

Part of the enjoyment will be seeing how Caesar will view humans, since apparently his “family” aren’t around anymore, and they were the only ones who treated him kindly.

Oh yeah, and for the picture? It’s of Andy Serkis in performance-capture gear. Seeing as how he’s on a horse, it clearly shows that Caesar and others have further evolved to horseback riding.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is due for release May 23, 2014.