All has been fairly quiet lately where the Planet of the Apes franchise is concerned. That’s all about to change though, with the synopsis for War for the Planet of the Apes now released ahead of footage from the film debuting at next week’s New York Comic Con.

The new official blurb on War for… reads as below:

In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, 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.

We have to admit, when it was announced that the whole Planet of the Apes franchise was to be rebooted again with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we were just a tad worried. After all, like most fans of this beloved franchise, we were still a little burned from Tim Burton’s ill-conceived Planet of the Apse redo back in 2001. Luckily for us, it turns out that Rise of… and its 2014 follow-up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, are phenomenal movies that have brought a whole new spark to a franchise long-believed to be dead. With Dawn of… helmer Matt Reeves back to direct War for the Planet of the Apes, this upcoming threequel is right at the top of 2017’s most hotly-anticipated movies.

For War for the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis and Judy Greer are back to ape around as Caesar and Cornelia, respectively, and the ominous Colonel is to be played by the ever-great Woody Harrelson.

At present, War for the Planet of the Apes is set for a worldwide release on July 14, 2017. As mentioned, the first footage of the film will be shown at next week’s New York Comic Con, so expect to see that as and when it arrives online.