The fourth film in the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy is set to begin production soon. It will take place years after War for the Planet of the Apes and will flip one major original Caesar element.
Wes Ball, who directed the Maze Runner movies, will direct this installment. The movie is scheduled to be released on May 24, 2024.
Set years after the events of War
With War for the Planet of the Apes having come out just six years ago, 20th Century Studios already has a new sequel in the works. The film, titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, will follow up on the events in Rise, Dawn, and War. However, it will subvert the typical “legacy sequel” by removing the original protagonists from the storyline.
According to a report, the plot will take place years after Caesar’s death in War. Multiple ape societies have grown since the Moses-like leader brought his people to an oasis, while humans have reduced themselves to a feral state. Some apes have never even heard of Caesar, while others have used his teaching to build burgeoning empires.
One such ape, named Nova, is likely to be the focus of this film. Unlike her father, the young Nova doesn’t want to enslave humanity. She has a different view of the world, and she may find herself in conflict with other apes who want to expel her or enslave her.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world
The sequel to the Planet of the Apes trilogy is set in a world where apes have seized control of society. The film will explore the associative issues that stem from this situation. Director Wes Ball will return to the franchise with a cast that includes Freya Allen, Peter Macon, and Owen Teague. The film is scheduled for release in 2024.
The ape leader Caesar apprehensively agrees to help humans restore the generator but many of his followers, including Koba, oppose the idea. They argue that protecting their civilization does not need to come at the expense of other human lives.
Unlike other reboots of classic movies, Kingdom does not deviate too far from the original, which has long marinated in pop culture. Moreover, it returns to the cinematic world that directors Andy Serkis and Matt Reeves helped build over the past three films. This strategy will likely help the new movie avoid the fate of Tim Burton’s ill-fated remake and establish a more lasting legacy.
Starring Owen Teague
Owen Teague has taken on a massive challenge in his first major studio role. He will star as the lead ape in 20th Century Fox’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is set to be released next year. His performance will be based on motion capture, which is a big part of what made the last trilogy such a success. He recently spoke about the process and got some advice from his predecessor, Andy Serkis.
Serkis’s motion-capture work in the last three Planet of the Apes films was some of the most impressive in film history. The actor nailed Caesar’s character and immersed audiences in the world of these characters. It’s a difficult task for anyone to follow, but Teague seems up for the challenge.
Production on the film began in April 2019 after Disney’s acquisition of Fox and landed Maze Runner director Wes Ball to handle the project. Freya Allan (The Witcher) and Peter Macon (The Orville) joined the cast in September of that year, with William H. Macy and Dichen Lachman (Severance) joining in January and February 2023, respectively.
Directed by Wes Ball
In the last film, Caesar led a group of apes to a sanctuary, but was fatally wounded by the virus. He left his surviving son, Cornelius, to lead the species in a new direction. However, the lethal Simian Flu has evolved into something worse. It now mutates humans into wilder, more violent creatures that will attack and kill apes.
The movie is set many years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes and will be directed by Wes Ball, who has directed all three Maze Runner movies. The cast includes Owen Teague, Freya Allan, and Peter Macon. Production is scheduled to begin next month.
Hopefully, this film will be the shot in the arm that the franchise needs to continue on after Matt Reeves moved on to DC. The last one, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, was not a great movie, but it was good enough. The legacy sequel needs to be better than that if it wants to continue the story of this brave and noble franchise.