‘War For The Planet Of The Apes’ Recruits Gabriel Chavarria For Lead Role

EXCLUSIVE: Gabriel Chavarria, the young star of Universal’s upcoming Low Riders, is making his deal now to be one of two human leads in 20th Century Fox’s War For The Planet Of The Apes, the latest installment of the franchise. Matt Reeves returns to direct, and the pic is shooting for an October start date in Vancouver.

The 2011 film’s sequel, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, grossed $708M worldwide last year with Reeves at the helm, nearly double the business of the franchise reboot — a major score for Fox and producer Chernin Entertainment.

Chavarria, repped by Paradigm and Momentum, is also the male lead in Hulu’s drama series East Los High. In Low Riders, from Imagine and Blumhouse, he plays an East LA teen immersed in the world of lowrider cars and street tagging while caught between his traditional father (Demian Bichir) and his estranged gangbanger brother, who both are competing in the annual lowrider “Supershow.” His other recent credits include Aquarius, Prime Suspect, Southland and the feature Teacher Of The Year.