"What we are hoping to do in this next story is to cement Caesar's position in Ape history. To make him a mythic character, almost like Moses," Reeves tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It's going to press into some very painful emotional places for him."

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Dawn was a critical and commercial success, earning $707.50 million worldwide. It could even see Serkis become the first actor to earn an Oscar nomination for a motion capture performance.

"The ape community has fallen apart. There's potential war," Serkis says of what he expects for the threquel. "He's going to have to lead the apes in darker times. I think it's going to be very powerful."

Serkis adds that he and Reeves will be meeting for the first time to discuss the third film in depth Monday night. On his Oscar chances, Serkis says while it's "lovely to be considered," what's even more important is that the Academy and other awarding bodies recognize performance capture is "no less than conventional acting."

"You are climbing into a role, losing yourself in a role, playing it to its fullest extent," Serkis says. "The fact that you are not wearing a costume is the only difference. Then that performance is manifested on screen by visual effects. But it is not enhanced, it is not changed. It's just acting."

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As if Serkis' involvement in Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises weren't enough to make him a true fanboy icon, he's also got mystery roles in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fans are speculating he'll play Black Panther villain Ulysses Klaw in Ultron, but Serkis isn't giving anything away.

Which film is he more excited about?

"That's impossible to say. I'm thrilled about both," he says with a smile. "It was such a pleasure to be a part of both of them, and not just as an actor, but also helping with the performance capture with my company The Imaginarium."

Toby Kebbell, who was a standout as Koba, the ape who betrays Caesar, says he is hoping to return for the third film — possibly as Koba, though he appeared to die at the end of Dawn.

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"I am hoping there is a way to resurrect Koba," says Kebbell. "If not, I would love to come back to do performance capture on other characters."

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes gets its Blu-ray/DVD release Dec. 2. It's available on Digital HD Tuesday.

Email: Aaron.Couch@THR.com

Twitter: @AaronCouch