Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Casts Keri Russell

Casting news continues to trickle in for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and it's being reported that Keri Russell has joined the cast. Unfortunately, Variety was unable to find out details about her character, but we do know that she'll be playing the female lead in the movie. The Felicity actress recently appeared in Dark Skies, and can be currently seen on The Americans.

Russell will be joined by Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) and Andy Serkis. While many of the new cast's character details have been kept a secret, we do know that Gary Oldman will be playing Dreyfus, the leader of the human resistance against the apes.

For those that missed the previous news, the new movie finds the human race struggling for survival fifteen years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes:

“One focus is on the group of human scientists who are struggling to survive alone in San Francisco. Another aspect of the story is the struggle of intelligent ape Caesar, played by a returning Andy Serkis, to maintain dominance over his kingdom.”

Production is set to begin this spring, with Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) directing, and a release date set for May 23rd, 2014. The script was written by Mark Bomback, from a draft by Rise of the Planet of the Apes writers Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa.