Without getting into spoiler territory,
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes does give is a proper ending, but at the same time leaves things open for the next film as we head towards the events of the original
Planet Of The Apes. We know director Matt Reeves will return to helm (and write) the threequel, and during a very interesting chat with The Playlist he drops a few hints as to what story it might follow. Reeves says that he and co-writer Mark Bomback haven't finalized anything yet and are still tossing ideas around -- but it certainly sounds like there's a few elements that they're at least leaning heavily towards.
"I don't necessarily think that there will be as big a leap between films. I see Casear as a seminal figure in ape history and he's a mythic character. He's essentially like their Moses and I think Caesar having to grapple with what it means to engage in this conflict that he doesn’t really want to be a part of and how that cuts at his core is going to be one of the great challenges for the character. I also think it's a generational story. He has children and I think it's going to be… to me there are many chapters of this mythic ape journey towards the original '68 movie."
Don't expect the resolution of the next movie to even come close to directly tying into the original either, as Reeves says there are plenty more stories to tell in the lead up to 1968 classic -- as long as
"the audiences interested in going on that journey with us", that is. Be sure to click the link below to check out the interview in full.