Gary Oldman Joins ‘Planet of the Apes’ Franchise

For years, Gary Oldman has been one of cinema’s greatest actors, a chameleon who can disappear into almost any role. However, over the last decade, Oldman has started to become more famous to the mainstream movie crowds with appearances in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. Oldman just announced a new franchise he is signing onto, as Oldman will star in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” as the rival to the leader of the ape rebellion Caesar.

Here is a look at the amazing career of Gary Oldman.

Chameleon Roles

Gary Oldman took the world by storm in 1986 when he took on the role punk rock icon Sid Vicious in the biopic “Sid and Nancy.” He disappeared into the role and turned in one of the finest depictions of a true-life rock star in movies. After that, Oldman set out on a career where he changed his appearances and was almost unrecognizable in any role. In “JFK” he played Lee Harvey Oswald, in “Dracula” he played the titular blood sucker, in “True Romance” he was a gold toothed pimp, and in “Immortal Beloved” he was Beethoven. In those films, it was amazing to realize the same actor played each of the characters.

“Harry Potter”

In 2004, Oldman seemed to step out of his comfort zone. The well respected British actor known for taking on daring, risqué roles, signed on to play the role of Harry Potter’s godfather Sirius Black in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” While it seemed strange to see Oldman playing in a young adult movie series, looking at the cast of the Harry Potter movies made it clear he fit right in with the quality British talent surrounding him. Oldman has said in interviews that he learned as much from Daniel Radcliffe, as the child actor learned from him.

“The Dark Knight”

One year after joining the Harry Potter cast, Oldman joined forces with Christopher Nolan in the new Batman franchise, soon to be dubbed “The Dark Knight Trilogy.” Starting in “Batman Begins,” Oldman took on the classic role of Jim Gordon, the man who would one day rule the police force in Gotham City. Along with fellow legendary actors like Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, Oldman joined forces with Christian Bale to create two of the most dynamic characters to ever appear in a comic book franchise.

If nothing else, these roles allowed him to finally make a passion project in “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” so that might be what helped convince Gary Oldman to reinvent himself as a bankable mainstream movie star in the end.

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