RISE OF THE APES Gets John Lithgow and Freida Pinto

John Lithgow and Freida Pinto have signed on to join the cast of the upcoming film “Rise of the Apes.” The film is being produced by Fox and will serve as a prequel to the “Planet of the Apes” franchise. Lithgow and Pinto join a cast that includes James Franco in the starring role with Rupert Wyatt directing.
Franco stars as a scientist searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Franco’s character tests his possible cures on apes, one of which begins to evolve rapidly. In the interest of protecting him from cruel doctors Franco takes the ape, named Caesar, home with him. Lithgow will play the role of Franco’s father who suffers from Alzheimer’s and Pinto will play the lead female character, a primatologist.
Lithgow last appeared in the feature film “Leap Year” but recently won a Golden Globe for his performance as a villainous serial killer on the Showtime series “Dexter.” Pinto famously starred in “Slumdog Millionaire” and just recently finished filming on “Immortals,” a fantasy film based upon the Greek gods.
(Source: THR Blog)