danefergus: After 'Deathly Hallows,' Tom Felton Goes From 'Potter' To Primates

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

After 'Deathly Hallows,' Tom Felton Goes From 'Potter' To Primates

Actor will hit the big screen again in next month's 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes,' with a spate of big-screen parts on the horizon.
By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Kara Warner

Tom Felton in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Photo: 20th Century Fox

Tom Felton may be giving up his bleached-blond Draco Malfoy hair color, but he's not giving up his "Harry Potter" character's bad attitude just yet.

As "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" was breaking box-office records and opening to critical acclaim over the weekend, Felton was already looking forward to his first post-"Potter" film, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," which hits theaters on August 5. And from what he's told MTV News about the movie's plot, his "Apes" character has a few things in common with Draco.

"My character, he works at a primate facility — I can reveal that — in which ... he's not the nicest of people looking after these lovely creatures," Felton teased.

But that's not the only project Felton is gearing up for: He finished filming "The Apparition" last year, a thriller that also stars "Twilight" actress Ashley Greene and "Captain America: The First Avenger" actor Sebastian Stan. While "Apparition" isn't due out until sometime in 2012, the movie is already earning some serious buzz in the online fan communities because it brings together two major movie franchises.

Felton has also filmed the sports flick "From the Rough" with Taraji P. Henson and Justin Chon and director Pierre Bagley. Add to that docket two war movies: "Grace and Danger" is currently in pre-production and "Evac" is on the horizon.

With films like "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "The Apparition" on the way, Felton seems to be positioning himself as a viable big-screen presence post-"Potter." But he seemed genuinely surprise that the opportunity to make another big-budget movie had come so quickly after the end of "Potter."

"It was very exciting for me to go from 'Harry Potter' on to ['Rise of the Planet of the Apes']," he told MTV News. "I didn't expect to go on to that class of set straight away, so it was hugely exciting. We had a great time making it."

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."

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