John Lithgow Joins James Franco and Freida Pinto in Rise of the Apes Film

Two-time Tony Award winner John Lithgow has joined James Franco and Freida Pinto in Rupert Wyatt’s film Rise of the Apes, a sequel to the classic sci-fi film Planet of the Apes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will play Franco’s father, a man who is stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Lithgow’s recent stage credits include his solo show Stories by Heart and Second Stage’s Mr. and Mrs. Fitch. He won Tony Awards for his work in Sweet Smell of Success and The Changing Room. He was also Tony-nominated for his performances in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, M. Butterfly, and Requiem for a Heavyweight.

Lithgow received Oscar nominations for Terms of Endearment and The World According to Garp. His television work includes Third Rock from the Sun, for which he received three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, and The American Comedy Award, and Dexter, for which he won the 2010 Golden Globe Award.