credit: Legion
Kevin Durand has been around for a while, and yet it’s still easy to find people who don’t know him by name, who will point to him in a movie and say ‘that guy’. That’s not terrible, to be fair, since he is a very recognizable individual that has played several roles during the course of his career, and beyond that, he’s played several villains throughout his time in front of the camera, and for one reason or another, he’s done quite well as the antagonist a lot of times.
To be fair, he does get overlooked a lot since he happens to star in movies that aren’t really considered that great, but it’s smart to state that he’s been exactly what he needed to be since he’s big, he’s tough, and he’s the kind of guy that one can root against simply because he looks like someone that might get a bit aggressive if someone were to cross him.
His time in Walking Tall with Dwayne Johnson, with Paul Bettany in Legion, and in various other movies has made it clear that as a supporting actor, he knows what he’s doing, and yes, he does sometimes overplay his part, but it makes his villains all that much better since one can wait to see him get what’s coming. Thinking about him playing the villain in the next Planet of the Apes movie, though, is kind of interesting since it sounds like he might have a bigger part to play.
credit: War for the Planet of the Apes
The villains in these movies haven’t exactly been groundbreaking.
Looking back at the Apes movies that have been made since Mark Walhberg joined the cast years ago makes it clear that there haven’t been a lot of villains that have stood out in a way that has been truly significant. In fact, some of the apes have made far better villains than many humans have.
The overall dominance of the apes as they’ve struggled to free themselves and create their own society has been one of the main drives of the movies since human villains have come and gone in this series. Keep in mind that Tim Roth played a villain in the ill-fated reboot of this classic, and then came a few others that weren’t exactly able to be memorable, as Woody Harrelson was the last villain and to be honest, he wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t someone that’s bound to be remembered that easily when one looks back on this franchise.
Let me amend that, he won’t be universally known, and neither will Gary Oldman, since they played villains that aren’t exactly forgettable but aren’t legendary. That feels like it’s done on purpose, though.
Andy Serkis won’t be the lead primate in this upcoming movie.
This sounds like it could be a mistake, but then again, Serkis’ character did die near the end of the last movie, so it’s fair to think that bringing him back would be something of a cheat, no matter how great of a job he did. He’s been one of the top CGI actors for a while now, but it sounds as though Owen Teague, the same actor who played Harold Lauder in the most recent version of The Stand, will be stepping in to take over.
It’s tough to say whether or not he’ll be a great replacement, but at the very least, it’s fair to have some faith and think that he’ll pay close attention to what’s been done and possibly perform his own take on the groundwork that’s been laid. One can only hope, right?
credit: War for the Planet of the Apes
Kevin Durand is the type of villain that a lot of people would be glad to see take a fall.
Getting back to Durand, as I mentioned, he’s a very easy villain to root against since he does have the look of someone that might be better off as a bad guy since he has a presence about him that suggests he might be able to play a great jerk or villain if he’s given a chance. In such movies as Walking Tall, Legion, Real Steel, and many others, he’s played the part of the villain quite well.
He’s even gone on to play a great sidekick in movies such as Robin Hood with Russell Crowe, but the fact is that he’s a big guy, he looks a little sinister, or is rather good at that look anyway, and it suits him in a manner that’s best to lean into.
It is fair to wonder if this next movie is going to be seen as a big deal.
One of the only issues that need to be addressed at the moment is whether this movie will be headed to the big screen or if it will be a streaming movie, which feels like it would be unfair to Durand and everyone else.
Granted, plenty of people watch streaming movies, but it feels as though his career would receive a boost if he was seen as not only the primary villain but was also allowed to do so on the big screen. Meh, maybe he doesn’t care one way or another, but it would be fun to see him rock the part of the main villain.