The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer Wants To Know If You're Ready For More Monkey Business
It's been quite some time since Andy Serkis' Caesar finished successfully leading the ape revolution in 2017's "War for the Planet of the Apes." Now, after giving the franchise a break, Disney is reviving the classic sci-fi series with a brand new installment entitled "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." And today brings with it the first full-length trailer for the film, which hails from director Wes Ball ("The Maze Runner"). Is this going to be another impressive cinematic adventure like the trilogy that preceded it? Have a look for yourself above.
When Disney purchased most of Fox back in 2019, that multi-billion-dollar deal was predicated on the idea that the studio had lots of franchises that could be put to good use. Given that the most recent trilogy of "Apes" films grossed more than $1.6 billion at the box office, this seemed like a good place for Disney to start. But the key to the success of that trilogy was quality-driven. Fingers crossed Ball was able to keep the quality up while taking the series in a new direction.
The big hook here is that "Kingdom" will take place years after "War," with Caesar long since passed. There are more apes in the world and they are now the unquestioned, dominant species. They've also clearly advanced quite a bit, as they are now training other animals to do their bidding. Riding horses, training birds. Things have come a long way since Caesar first led a group of apes across the Golden Gate Bridge to freedom all those years ago.
A classic sci-fi franchise returns
Owen Teague ("It") leads the ensemble cast. Dichen Lachman ("Jurassic World Dominion"), William H. Macy ("Fargo"), Freya Allen ("The Witcher") Peter Macon ("The Orville"), 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") also star.
Josh Friedman ("War of the Worlds") penned the screenplay alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver ("Rise of the Planet of the Apes"), and Patrick Aison ("Prey"). Jaffa and Silver, it's worth noting, helped craft the previous trilogy as well, having written "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." Joe Hartwick Jr, Jaffa, Silver, and Jason Reed are on board as producers, with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping serving as executive producers.
"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is set to hit theaters on May 24, 2024. Here's the synopsis:
Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar's reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.