War for the Planet of the Apes Clip Introduces Bad Ape

A new clip from War for the Planet of the Apes has been released online, introducing audiences to a new character in the franchise.

In the clip above, Caesar and his group encounter Bad Ape. After a hostile first encounter which sees the new ape attempted to steal from the group, they head back to his hideout where they hear his origin story and learn he is actually quite welcoming.

Bad Ape is played by Steven Zahn in War for the Planet of the Apes.

“He’s an outsider and he’s kind of like a hill rat,” Zahn told PopCulture.com. “He’s been living on his own so he’s really excited to be part of a group.”

“He’s integral to the story in that he has knowledge of where they’re going. They’re on a journey and he’s the scout. His information is his… He doesn’t have any super powers. He knows what paths to go through.”

Becoming an ape, however, was more challenging than Zahn had originally anticipated. “We sat down and really talked about the essence of an ape. It was a lot deeper,” Zahn went on. He eventually grew so comfortable with the role of an ape that it become a habit — and a joke. “It grew to me and Terry going around basecamp as apes!”

In War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. 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 their species and the future of the planet.

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The cast features Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, and Terry Notary.

It is being directed by Matt Reeves (The Batman), based on a script he co-wrote with Mark Bomback. It is produced by Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver.