20th Century Fox has released a new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer, but it’s not really a traditional trailer.  Instead, this video fills audiences in on what transpired between the events of 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes and this sequel, which takes place 10 years later.  The trailer’s actually quite neat, as it follows how the Simian Flu from the end of Rise nearly wipes out humanity’s existence, tracking our response to the virus.  By skipping ahead a considerable amount of time, director Matt Reeves is given the freedom to really ramp up the tension in this follow-up, and all the footage we’ve seen thus far has been fantastic.  After X-Men: Days of Future Past, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and 22 Jump Street, could this be the summer of sequels that are actually good?

Hit the jump to watch the new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer.  The film stars Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Judy Greer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tobey Kebbell, Kirk Acevedo, and Enrique Murciano.  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on July 11th.

If you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, be sure to check out interviews with Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russell and Gary Oldman, Matt Reeves, and cinematographer Michael Seresin.

Trailer via MSN.

Here’s the official synopsis for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.