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Keri Russell is one of those talented actors that, for whatever reason, hasn’t seemed to gain traction in film (Waitress M:I3 being notable exceptions). That tide is starting to turn however. Dark Skies revealed itself a very entertaining if under-appreciated chiller*. More importantly, Russell’s very likely on her way to earning an Emmy nod thanks to the spectacular work she and Matthew Rhys are doing on FX’s cold-ware spy serial The Americans. While rumors abound that James Franco will not appear in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, firm casting now comes to light in the form Variety’s report that the sexiest Mouseketeer since Annette Funicello has been cast in the sci-fi sequel.

The Apes followup encountered a somewhat rocky start, as we’ve know for a while that Rise director Rupert Wyatt left the project due to good old-fashioned creative differences. Matt Reeves now assumes the director’s chair, having already cast Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke and Kodi-Smit McPhee in undisclosed roles. Also undisclosed: who Russell will play. With all these apes likely to be running around, is it too much to ask that one or more of these actors don a mo-cap suit alongside a returning Andy Serkis as Caesar?

*I’m kicking myself that I missed the boat to review this. If you’ve been as frustrated as I’ve been with recently-released horror or thrillers, you owe it to yourself to check this out.