Watch the 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Trailer

Breaking news: for once, James Franco is not doing something. The multi-tasking actor, who starred in 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, will not be appearing in its upcoming sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Instead, Harry Potter favorite Gary Oldman will be taking on the lead role, and if the just-released trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is any indication, a Franco-less Planet of the Apes movie will be just fine.

The first movie in the franchise reboot saw Caesar, a super-intelligent ape, lead a chimp uprising that threatened the future of humanity. The sequel will see Caesar's army of genetically enhanced apes wage war on the human survivors of a virus that killed most of the population a decade earlier.

In the trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, a man (Oldman), addresses a crowd filled with remaining members of a drastically underpopulated world, reminding them of all they have been through over the last decade in order to ensure their species' survival.

"We've been through hell together," he says, referring to both the intelligence-boosting but highly dangerous virus humanity fought for four years and the war they fought amongst themselves for four years after.

"It's not just about power," Oldman's character elaborates. "It's about giving us the hope to rebuild and reclaim the world we lost."

Later in the trailer, a warpaint-decorated Caesar is seen, standing powerfully at the head of his ape army. After a calculated hesitation, he gives the chimps a "go" sign — but their destination is unknown.

The Dawn trailer is just a teaser, but from what we can see so far, the sequel definitely has potential to be as good as its predecessor. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprise success, both critically and commercially, and was considered a worthy reboot of a beloved franchise. Judging from the trailer, Dawn certainly has the power to be just as thrilling and fun as the first movie, and with a lead actor as good as Oldman, it could potentially be even better.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Oldman, Jason Clarke, Judy Greer, Keri Russell, and Andy Serkis as head ape Caesar. It'll be released on July 11, 2014.

Check out the trailer below:

Image: 20th Century Fox