James Franco will Star in PLANET OF THE APES Prequel

James Franco has landed another gig in Hollywood! He has been cast as the lead character in 20th Century Fox's upcoming Planet of the Apes prequel, which has been titled Rise of the Apes. I didn't see this coming at all! James Franco in Planet of the Apes? Really? I think the guys a great actor, which is why I can't figure out why he's doing the movie.

Franco will play a young, driven scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes. Apparently there were a lot of young elite actor up for the role, but Franco beat them out. 

The film is being directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist), and the screenplay was written by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. The movie is scheduled to start shooting on July 5th of 2010, and is set to be released in theaters on June 24th 2011. 

Here is the plot synopsis for the film.

RISE OF THE APES (tentative title) is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of  intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

I'm not a big fan of Fox rebooting the Planet of the Ape franchise. The Tim Burton movie really left a bad taste in my mouth. It doesn't seem like many fanboys and fangirls are interested in seeing this film made either. But, unfortunately there is a whole world out there of casual movies goers that just don't care... this movie is for them.

Penny for your thoughts?

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