'War for the Planet of the Apes' release date, news: a character from the original film will appear in 'War for the Planet of the Apes'

Remember that little girl (Amiah Miller) riding with Maurice (Karin Konoval) in the official "War for the Planet of the Apes" trailer? Well, it turns out that she's a character fans of the franchise have already met.

Entertainment Weekly has reported that the mute girl that Caesar (Andy Serkis) and the rest of the Apes meet during their journey is named Nova. Fans would notice that she has the same name as Linda Harrison's character in the original "Planet of the Apes."

While it may seem like the filmmakers are paying a homage to the 1968 film by naming the girl after a character in that movie, Entertainment Weekly has noted that the Nova in "War for the Planet of the Apes" is the same character as the one Harrison portrayed in "Planet of the Apes."

The previous films have also contained Easter eggs that pay homage to the old movies, but this is the clearest connection yet between the reboot films and the original films.

Meanwhile, director Matt Reeves shared some details about Nova and her role in the film. "The battle is not just between the humans and the apes, but in Caesar's soul. The girl is his pull back to his empathy and — for lack of a better word — his human side," he stated.

"War for the Planet of the Apes" is set two years after the events that took place on "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," and the apes have been fighting a prolonged war with the humans led by the Colonel (Woody Harrelson).

When the film starts, the humans have driven the apes to the woods, and Caesar has become a hardened leader who no longer has empathy for humans. To end the war, he goes on a journey to assassinate the Colonel, but he meets Nova along the way. Can the little girl help Caesar rediscover his "human side" before it's too late?

"War for the Planet of the Apes" is scheduled to hit theaters on July 24, 2017.