James Franco (Spiderman) is set to star in Twentieth Century Fox’s upcoming Planet of the Apes prequel Rise of the Apes.

The 32-year-old actor will play a San Francisco-based scientist determined to keep an ape named Caesar safe from drug testing experiments. What he doesn’t know is that Caesar will eventually lead a revolution against mankind.

Production on Rise of the Apes begins on July 5. Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) is attached as director.