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War For The Planet Of The Apes: Director Reveals The Fate Of Malcolm From The Previous Movie


Throughout the run of the new Planet of the Apes movies, there has always been a human protagonist that Caesar is friends with. In the first movie it was James Franco's Will, and in the second one it was Jason Clarke's Malcolm. Clarke won't be returning for War, and director Matt Reeves explains why.

Talking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Reeves revealed that Malcolm was actually murdered. He explains:

"Yeah, they were, actually, specifically Jason's character was, and it was a disturbing discovery. The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) had revealed some information about a man who'd come to him when he first got to the city and impressed upon him how important it was to find Caesar, and to tell him that he needed to create peace with this man. That this Ape was not just an Ape, but was a great leader, and he thought this guy was crazy. And now he (Colonel), in the scene with Caesar, says that he now sees what he meant, and Caesar says, "Well, what happened to him?" And The Colonel said, "I killed him." Caesar is perplexed and asks why, and The Colonel says, "His ideas were very dangerous because the ideas were like a virus and they could spread to others, and right now this is a fight for humanity." So that's what happened."

My first thought in reading it was that Reeves kind of spoiled a big reveal in his movie, but he has confirmed that this scene ended up in the cutting room floor because it felt a bit inorganic. It's a shame it got cut though, since I think it gives us closure on Malcolm's character, and it also makes Woody Harrelson's Colonel much more despicable.

Either way, I'm excited. The new Apes franchise may not be making Avengers money, but the movies are still pretty fun.

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species and the future of the planet.

Catch War for the Planet of the Apes in cinemas tomorrow July 14.

See Also: Andy Serkis Contests Mark Hamill By Reading Trump Tweets As Gollum

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