'Zero Dark Thirty' Star Jason Clarke Will Fight Those Damn, Dirty Apes in 'Planet of the Apes' Sequel

After James Franco revealed that he wouldn't be returning for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it only made sense that some other poor human would step in to be defeated by Andy Serkis' Caesar and his army of apes. And, no, that's not a spoiler. Unless you've been living underground, you should know that humans don't fare well against the ape uprising in these films.* On Tuesday, news broke that Jason Clarke would play the human lead in the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with The Hollywood Reporter even filling us in on a bit of the film's premise:

Much of the plot is being kept under lock and key, but it is set 15 years after the events of 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which starred James Franco. One focus is on the human scientists who are struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. Another aspect of the story is the struggle of intelligent ape Caesar, played by a returning Andy Serkis, to maintain dominance over his kingdom.

Clarke had a great 2012, with a breakout performance in Zero Dark Thirty and a decent role in Lawless. After interrogating and berating terrorists in Zero Dark Thirty, what are the odds the actor gets to deliver the iconic "damn, dirty apes" line in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?

*Actually, even the humans living underground and worshiping a nuclear bomb in Beneath the Planet of the Apes knew that they had been defeated by the apes. They didn't have the Internet. You have no excuse.