Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer has Caesar preparing for war

With the first set of posters being released last week, Twentieth Century Fox have released the first trailer for Matt Reeves’ Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2011 reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, wherein human scientist Will Rodman inadvertently contributed to the downfall of civilization with the creation of ALZ-113, a viral-based drug used to help cure Alzheimer’s. The drug proved too effective for human intake and was inadvertently leaked from the lab before spreading across the globe, infecting and killing countless people.

In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar has become the king among the apes, while humanity is scattered and struggling to survive in a world where they are no longer the Earth’s dominant species. The two sides reached a fragile peace, but it proved short-lived, as both sides are at the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as the dominant species.

For the sequel, Matt Reeves has promised to continue to build towards the future in the previous Apes installments:

I wanted to make sure we’re continuing to go along the path of evolution without missing it; it was so delicious to watch in the first movie. It’s not like now they are talking in verse. Hopefully the movie is emotional and thrilling as you watch the apes come into being.

At SDCC, Reeves also talked about how his film is more of a psychological and character-driven drama. With a lot of Rise’s success falling on Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Caesar, a psychological and character-driven drama is the kind of film well suited for Serkis’ talents.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes invades theaters on July 11th, 2014.