Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potterfilms, says he has begun filming Rise of the Apes, a prequel to the popular Planet of the Apes sci-fi movies, and also finished shooting a movie with Twilight‘s Ashley Greene.

“I’ve just started shooting Caesar, Rise of the Apes, which is the Planet of the Apes prequel, which I’m mega, mega excited about,” Felton said. “It’s a project that I’ve been really passionate about for a long time.”

Rise of the Apes stars Freida Pinto, James Franco and John Lithgow and is scheduled for release on June 24, 2011. The film is set in modern times in San Francisco and shows the consequences of human experimentation with genetic engineering – increased intelligence in apes, which brings forth the threat of a power struggle.

Pinto, a 25-year-old Indian actress best known for her role in the 2008 Oscar-winning movieSlumdog Millionaire, will play a primatologist and Franco a scientist, while Lithgow, of the sci-fi series Third Rock from the Sun and recently, Dexter, will reportedly play his father.

The original 1968 Planet of the Apes film starred the late Charlton Heston and quickly became a cult classic and spurred several sequels. A remake featuring Mark Wahlberg was released in 2001 but receive mixed reviews.

Felton, 22, also recently filmed a movie called The Apparition with Ashley Greene, who portrayed the vampire Alice Cullen in the Twilight films. Felton said the project was “a kind of science thriller with an ounce of horror.” The Apparition is set for release on September 9.

Source: ontheredcarpet.com