Comic-Con: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Brings the Simian Flu to San Diego

Director Matt Reeves began the Fox panel at San Diego Comic-Con today to talk about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to 2011's Rise of, and he was joined by cast members Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis, and Keri Russell.

The sizzle reel shown was short, as the film is still shooting and the process to create the finished apes effects takes 10 to 12 weeks per shot, but what was shown was a tantalizing glimpse of humanity's quick slide into self-destruction following the events of the last film. Times are tough for what's left of mankind after the Simian Flu. We hear how the humans spent four years fighting the virus, and another four years fighting each other. There are gunshots. Clarke is in the forest, desperately calling out "I need to talk to Caesar!" And then we cut to a close-up of an ape's eyes. As the camera slowly pulls back we see that it's Caesar, a bit older from when we last saw him, with white war paint on his face and a red stripe down his brow. And behind him, other apes, all with weapons… waiting to attack. Cut to the title: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Reeves told the crowd that he was obsessed with the old Apes films as a kid and even wanted to be an ape. Years later when he saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he felt that the film finally made him an ape -- not physically but emotionally. So he wanted to do a Caesar-centric story as well with Dawn, one that basically makes all of us who watch feel like apes.

Serkis, who of course plays Caesar, said that one of the big challenges here was to play the character as a leader. He's in charge of the apes, and he's now in a position where all the apes are together and strong. He's more mature now too, 10 years older, and also a family man with a wife and teenage son and baby. The communication between the apes has also evolved, as they now use sign language, ape vocalizations, and some words as well.

Reeves said knowing how the Apes world will eventually wind up -- namely, the Charlton Heston movie -- is cool because he sees the movie as being about character, and the journey of how the apes will get there is the important part.

Meanwhile, a viral campaign for the film also launched this weekend. People in surgical masks and gowns were on the streets outside the convention center warning of the Simian Flu and handing out hand sanitizer (!) that bears the URL www.simianflu.com -- which points to the following video:

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