'War for the Planet of the Apes' news: Explosion on set befuddles nearby residents

Production for the sequel "War for the Planet of the Apes" commenced late last year and is continuing to date; however, the filming has gotten more intense as fireballs were seen tossed into the sky from the set in the south Richmond area of British Columbia, Canda, as part of the movie's elaborate sequence.

Although residents of Richmond were informed of the staged explosion beforehand, many still expressed their concerns and took to social media to report the incident. Others went as far as to telephone local radio stations to inform of the occurrence. However, this was all part of the production for the sequel of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."

In 2011, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," a reboot for the "Planet of the Apes," was released by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Rupert Wyatt and starred James Franco, Freida Pinto, and Andy Serkis. Not long after, it was followed by "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which tells the story of how genetically-enhanced apes have come to build their own civilization after the fall of mankind.

Andy Serkis, who will reprise his role as Caesar in "War for the Planet of the Apes," has shared that the numbers for subsequent movies do not matter as long as the plot eventually leads to "The Planet of the Apes" storyline.

Last year, he told ComingSoon.Net: "It might be three films, it could be four. It could be five. Who knows? But the journey will continue. It might not be necessarily summarized or completely fulfilled in this next one. The point being, eventually we now that we're going to end up back at 'The Planet of the Apes,' but whether it's a film or not, I don't know."

Meanwhile, Matt Reeves, director for the upcoming movie, remarked how he wants viewers to perceive Caesar as a leader among apes. In 2014, he told SuperheroHype: "The notion of what we're after with the third is to sort of continue the trajectory and see how he becomes a seminal figure in ape history. He almost becomes sort of like an ape Moses. A mythic status."

Alongside Serkis, "War for the Planet of the Apes" will star Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, and Judy Greer. Reeves is joined by Mark Bomback as screenwriter and Dylan Clark as producer.

"War for the Planet of the Apes" is slated to hit theaters on July 14, 2017.