MTV recently caught up with James "Renaissance Man" Franco and inquired about him possibly reprising his role as Dr. Will Rodman in the
Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel, which will now be directed by Matt Reeves (
Cloverfield).
MTV: Are you going to be making an appearance in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"?
Franco: 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.
Is the character essential to the sequel? He kind of is. I mean his character did create ALZ-112, which started this whole mess, and is an emotional cornerstone for Caesar. It would certainly make for a smoother bridge between the two films. As for me I'd like to see him comeback, even if it's in a smaller role.
I would like to point out that after Rupert Wyatt left, Mark Bomback was brought in by Reeves to fix the script. So there is a good chance that the script isn't finalized just yet, and that is why Franco's phone has been quiet. I guess we'll find out
May 23rd, 2014, when the film is released.