MONKEY SEE, MONKEY KILL

Meet the Colonel, every simian’s worst nightmare

THE GREATEST THREAT to Caesar and his troops in War For The Planet Of The

Apes is the apparently unnamed Colonel, as played by Woody Harrelson. Writer/director Matt Reeves says “villain” is a misnomer, but we’re definitely allowed to call him the film’s antagonist. “He’s driven by extreme circumstances. That’s why he’s extreme. There’s no way the humans will survive if they don’t win — as we know from the ’68 film. His arguments for doing what he’s doing have tremendous weight.”

Already a fan of the series, Harrelson was, says Reeves, intensely invested in the character and eager to face off against Andy Serkis’ fiercely driven Caesar. “The way he and Caesar kind of orbit each other is extraordinary,” Serkis tells Empire. “And the way the scenes evolve and the way they perceive each other and reflect each other is fascinating. I’ve got a couple of fantastic scenes with Woody: quite centrepiece scenes; amazing scenes for him.”

The Colonel has a dark and enigmatic backstory, one that isn’t yet being revealed. What we do know is he’s a Special Forces commando, and the leader of an elite military splinter unit called the Alpha-omega, dedicated to wiping out the ape threat and taking back the planet for humanity. Reeves reveals that the Colonel is almost a legendary figure among his own men: “More than human, somehow; almost god-like to them.” In other words, Colonel Kurtz if he really hated chimps.