Watch Andy Serkis' impressive transformation into Caesar from War For The Planet Of The Apes

The battle between the apes and humans continues with the upcoming film War For The Planet Of The Apes, and in keeping with its premiere this month, 20<sup>th Century Fox released a video depicting the behind-the-scenes transformation of its lead character Caesar.

The new clip shows how motion-capture actor Andy Serkis is digitally transformed into the leader to a tribe of genetically enhanced apes. Wearing a grey suit and with dots on his face, the actor delivers a monologue about "the blood and carnage of the past" leading to "a world founded upon faith and understanding".

As he stares intensely into the camera, Serkis' face and body slowly transform to that of Caesar's, complete with fur and ape features. These special effects are courtesy Weta Digital, which also worked on the first film in the franchise, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and its sequel Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.

The third and upcoming film takes us back to the post- Simian Flu world where Caesar and his apes continue to battle the humans. With heavy losses on this side, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts in order to face the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) and the traitorous gorilla Red (Ty Olsson).

War For The Planet Of The Apes is set to release in the UK on 11 July and in the US on 14 July.

Serkis has worked on a series of blockbuster films as a motion-capture actor, most notably playing Golum in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and The Hobbit. However, the 53-year-old is keen to be recognised for work other than that of the character formerly known as Sméagol.

"Preferably not as the guy who played Gollum," he said when asked by The Guardian about which role he would like to be remembered for.

Watch the War For The Planet Of The Apes video below: