First look set photo from 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'

It's become inevitable in our Facebook/Twitter dominated world that movie marketing would start to get a little out of control. We've seen it as studios have decided it was beneficial to release five-second teases for teaser trailers, and it's extended by directors offering up on-set glimpses of their movies before a second of actual filming has begun. When your film is a big-budget sequel that is by no means a guaranteed success, like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it makes sense to start whipping up the anticipation early.

Director Matt Reeves has released this first set photo for the film, and it's one that actually reveals quite a bit. In it, you can see star Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) in a confrontation with Andy Serkis in his mo-cap suit, riding a horse as Caesar, the apes' leader. So along with possibly having learned to speak English, the apes have evolved enough to make other animals their subjects.

As production rolls, the cast has been rounded out in full with the addition of Toby Kebbell (Rocknrolla), who will be joining Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Judy Greer. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 23rd 2014. Check out the latest plot synopsis below.

PLOT: 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.