Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes: Everything We Know So Far About The Wes Ball-Helmed Sequel
"Planet of the Apes" is one of the most legendary and enduring sci-fi franchises we have. The original 1968 film that started it all, which was co-written by "The Twilight Zone" creator Rod Serling, is still regarded as one of the finest entries in the genre ever created. But a new era was launched with "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" in 2011, introducing us to Andy Serkis as Caesar and launching a new trilogy. Matt Reeves took over with "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "War for the Planet of the Apes," which closed Caesar's story but paved the way for a bright future. Now, that future is nearly upon us.
Next up will be director Wes Ball's "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," a continuation of the franchise under Disney, thanks to the merger with Fox in 2019. But what is this new installment going to deliver? Are we looking at a full-on reboot? Another remake like Tim Burton's attempt to do just that in 2001? While many questions remain we are going to go over everything we currently know about the tenth "Planet of the Apes" movie. Let's dig in.
Who is making the movie with director Wes Ball?
Wes Ball, who is known as the man who directed "The Maze Runner" movies, is tasked with directing "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." So he is at the top of the food chain and the vision will run through him. While Ball hasn't said much by way of specifics, he did say the following shortly before the film's official title was announced:
"We want to also do our own thing. We have a take. We have a way of staying in the universe that was created before us, but we're also opening ourselves up in being able to do some really cool new stuff. Again, I'm trying to be careful here. I'll say this, for fans of the original three don't worry – you're in good hands."
Joining Ball on the creative team are Josh Friedman ("War of the Worlds"), who penned the screenplay alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes"), and Patrick Aison ("Prey"). It's important to note that Jaffa and Silver were crucial in crafting the recent trilogy, so having them back is providing some connective tissue. Joe Hartwick Jr, Jaffa, Silver and Jason Reed are on board as producers, with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping serving as executive producers.
It will be a continuation of the previous trilogy
The biggest and most important thing that has been confirmed up to this point is that "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" will take place within the same continuity as the previous trilogy, which was largely shepherded by Matt Reeves. Disney and 20th Century Studios have been pretty quiet on the story details so far but the official press release did state "This film starts an all-new chapter in the 'Planet of the Apes' saga, picking up many years after the conclusion of 2017's 'War for the Planet of the Apes.'"
That helps give some idea of what we're getting ourselves into. "War for the Planet of the Apes" concluded with the apes finding a new sanctuary, Caesar meeting his peaceful demise, and the humans seemingly tearing themselves apart. The only piece of concept art we've seen, as of this writing, showcases a more peaceful, seemingly ape-heavy world.
That art shows a lot of greenery, even more advanced apes with trained birds and horses, as well as cities that are totally overgrown. This appears to be a world in which humans are all but an afterthought, truly making it a planet of the apes. So, while it will technically be connected to the previous "Apes" trilogy, this is far removed from the origin. We are firmly in apes ruling the world territory, it seems.
The cast for the new Planet of the Apes
Given that the movie will be advancing the timeline quite a bit we probably shouldn't expect for any of the cast from the previous trilogy to return. That said, the ensemble is shaping up to be pretty impressive. Owen Teague ("It") leads the cast, though his role is being kept under wraps for the time being. It seems likely he will play an ape but that is purely speculative at this point.
The rest of the confirmed ensemble includes Freya Allen ("The Witcher") and Peter Macon ("The Orville"), who are joining Teague in currently undisclosed roles. Following the initial announcement, Deadline brought us word that five others had joined the cast, also in unspecified roles, in the form of Travis Jeffery ("Unbroken"), Neil Sandilands ("Sweet Tooth"), Sara Wiseman ("One Of Us Is Lying"), Ras-Samuel Welda'abzgi ("The Clearing"), and Lydia Peckham ("Cowboy Bebop").
When does Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes come out?
So, when are we going to be able to see the continuation of this legendary franchise? Disney has dated "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" for release on May 24, 2024. This is a prime summertime release date and, unlike the "Predator" movie "Prey," which was dumped straight to Hulu, it appears as though this movie will be getting a theatrical release. Given that the recent "Planet of the Apes" trilogy earned $1.67 billion against combined budgets totaling $415 million, that makes every bit of sense. Still, 20th Century Studios is committed to providing ten movies per year to Hulu, so the fact that this one is getting a theatrical release is no small thing.