Andy Serkis unveils clips from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Twentieth Century Fox has started previewing select clips from the upcoming Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, the latest instalment in the Planet Of The Apes series.

At a presentation in London this morning, the clips were preceded by a short video introduction from Andy Serkis, who stars in the film as ape leader Caesar.

Serkis is the only cast member reprising his role from the film’s predecessor, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. Former male and female leads James Franco and Freida Pinto have been replaced by Jason Clarke and Keri Russell. And with Matt Reeves replacing Rise director Rupert Wyatt, the stage seems to be set for a fresh addition to the franchise.

The screening began with a segment comparing the actors playing the apes in performance-capture suits with the finished, animated product. These side-by-side clips highlighted the sophistication of the film’s animation, which was a focal point for praise in Rise.

Clips screened for the audience were only partially completed, with bits of the animation still needing some fine-tuning. But the scenes offered a glimpse into the brewing tensions between the apes and humans that will come to a head throughout the rest of film.

Set 10 years after Rise, the ALZ-113 responsible for the increased intellectual capacity of the apes has wiped out most of the human population. The apes have developed a universal language and built a peaceful community in the woods, while the surviving humans live in squalor in the wastelands of San Francisco.

A scuffle in the woods between some apes and a wandering human sparks talk of war amongst the apes, but Caesar appears tentative to attack.

The humans, particularly Malcolm (Clarke), appear just as wary to start a war. Furthermore, touching scenes between the apes and Malcolm’s wife and son (Russell and Kodi Smit-McPhee, respectively) hint at the possibility of harmony between the two species.

But as the film’s official trailer showed, not every ape and human are ready to join hands and sing Kumbaya. Gary Oldman, who plays the humans’ leader, is still reeling from the loss of his family due to the virus, and a particularly gruesome clip between an ape with a rifle and two unsuspecting humans shows these monkeys are not to be messed with.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes opens July 11.