Jason Clark is trading real life situations for science-fiction ones involving apes. The Zero Dark Thirty star has signed on to be the lead in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Matt Reeves is directing the Planet of the Apes sequel from a script by Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard). The plot is being kept under wraps, but according to THR, it’s set 15 years after the events of the 2011 movie. We also know that one of the focuses will be on some human scientists who are struggling to survive in San Francisco. Andy Serkis’ Caesar will also be in the mix. In this film, he is also struggling, not to survive, but to keep the power over his kingdom.

Principal photography is scheduled to start in the spring. Dawn is being produced by Peter Chernin, Dyland Clarke, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa.

Though Clarke has been in high profile movies, like Public Enemies and Lawless, it was Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty that got him really noticed. Now he’s getting offers to star in movies, and as THR points out, Apes will be his first starring gig in an American film production.

SOURCE: THR