Sad trombone face. James Franco, the star of "Rise Of The Planets Of The Apes" (aside from the chimpanzee Cesar of course), was all set to do a cameo in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." The rub is that the original director Rupert Wyatt bowed out (Matt Reeves is now directing it) and so did Tom Rothman, who is no longer at Fox and Franco hasn't heard a peep since. So the actor assumes he's out. Via MTV.
"I was going to be a small part of the next one. There was a moment when Rupert Wyatt was going to direct the second one. A lot of the human characters that were in the first movie were dead in the sequel that Rupert was going to direct. But there was one scene, between Caesar and my character, maybe even just like on a video that was left behind, but then a lot of things happened, like [former Fox co-chairman] Tom Rothman who was a big part of the first movie, left. Now Rupert’s not a part of it so I don’t know. My guess is I won’t be in it. Nobody’s talked to me since Rupert left."
One would think since his relationship with Cesar was the heart and soul of the movie, they'd want much more than a cameo, but it seems like it's not meant to be. Perhaps it's for the best because as surprisingly great as "Rise Of The Planets Of The Apes" was, Franco always seemed like he was acting in an entirely different movie and didn't fit it like a glove. So far, the only actor on board for the sequel is Andy Serkis who will reprise his motion-capture expertise as the hero ape. Thoughts? Does it matter to you? "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" rises May 23, 2014. Plenty of time to cast a new human lead.