The 1968 film adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, “La Planète des singes” (known in English as “Planet of the Apes” or “Monkey Planet”), was a massive critical and commercial success, sparking a wave of follow-ups and spinoffs. After the initial series of six films from 1968 to 2001, a reboot series focused on the chimpanzee Caesar began in 2011 with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” This was followed by “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.”
When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019, they announced their plans to produce more films in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise. In September 2022, the title of the fourth installment in the reboot series was revealed as “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” After nearly seven years since the last film, fans will once again be immersed in the ape-filled world on the big screen in 2024. Here’s everything we know so far about this highly anticipated release.
Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is scheduled to swing into theaters on May 10, 2024, marking nearly seven years since the release of the previous installment, “War for the Planet of the Apes.” During its opening weekend, the film will face competition from the faith-based spoof “Not Another Church Movie” and Chris Pine’s directorial debut, “Poolman.”
The film’s release date was initially set for Memorial Day weekend, May 24, 2024. However, it was later moved up by two weeks to avoid a box office clash with heavyweights like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie.”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” will have an exclusive theatrical release, allowing audiences to experience the epic adventure on the big screen. When the film eventually makes its way to streaming, it will likely be available on Disney+ or Hulu, as it is distributed by Disney-owned 20th Century Studios. With Disney’s recent announcement of acquiring Comcast’s remaining stake in Hulu, there is a possibility that Disney+ and Hulu could merge into a single streaming platform by the time the film becomes available for streaming.
20th Century Studios released the first teaser trailer for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” on November 2, 2023, offering a glimpse into the world of the film without giving away too much. The teaser introduced a new, younger ape, presumably the film’s protagonist, and revealed that the apes have evolved to speak fluent English instead of broken English as seen in previous films.
The second trailer for the film was unveiled during the Super Bowl on February 12, providing an even deeper look into the highly anticipated sequel.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” serves as a soft reboot of the franchise, taking place years after the events of the “Caesar Trilogy.” While those films are still considered canon, characters like Caesar, Koba, Cornelia, Maurice, Rocket, and Nova are not expected to appear in this new installment.
In a sneak peek shared by Empire, director Wes Ball revealed that while Caesar’s spirit remains present in the film, most of his living relatives will not be featured. He described the film as a progression from the “Stone Age” of the previous trilogy to the “Bronze Age” in this new chapter.
In a subsequent Empire feature, Ball elaborated that the film is set 300 years after Caesar’s death and that the lead ape, Noa, has little knowledge of Caesar’s legacy. Noa’s journey involves discovering and interpreting that legacy, making choices that will shape the future of both apes and humans.
The film’s villain has been revealed to be an ape named Proximus Caesar, a cult-like leader who enslaves other tribes of apes, distorting the society and ideals that the original Caesar fought to establish.
With a runtime of 145 minutes, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” will be the longest film in the franchise to date.
20th Century Studios has provided the following official 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.”
Given that the latest installment in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise takes place “several generations” after the events of the previous film, it’s no surprise that the cast features fresh faces.
Leading the pack is Owen Teague (“IT”) as Noa, the film’s central ape character. Teague follows in the footsteps of Andy Serkis, who portrayed Caesar in the previous trilogy and garnered critical acclaim for his performance. While Serkis isn’t returning for this installment, Teague sought guidance from the motion-capture veteran. In an interview, Teague shared:
“The hardest part about it was just learning how to be in a suit all day and have a camera strapped to your head. But you get used to it after about a week, and I remember Andy being like, ‘You’ll get used to it and you’ll stop worrying about it after the first week.’ And he was absolutely right. The rest of motion capture is just what you would do otherwise, and the difference between a human and whatever you’re playing just becomes a costume, so you don’t even really think about it that much.”
Joining Teague in the motion-capture realm are Kevin Durand (“The Strain”) as Proximus Caesar, the film’s ape antagonist, and Peter Macon (“The Orville”) as Raka, an orangutan who becomes an ally to Noa on his journey.
Freya Allan (“The Witcher”) takes on the role of Mae, the film’s human lead. She joins the franchise as a new human cast member, as none of the previous human actors from the Caesar trilogy, including James Franco, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Woody Harrelson, and Amiah Miller, are expected to reprise their roles.
Rounding out the ensemble cast are William H. Macy (“Shameless”), Eka Darville (“Jessica Jones”), Travis Jeffery (“Unbroken”), Neil Sandilands (“Sweet Tooth”), Sara Wiseman (“A Place to Call Home”), Lydia Peckham (“Cowboy Bebop”), Ras-Samuel Weld A’abzgi (“The Clearing”), and Dichen Lachman (“Severance”).
While the names and details of the new characters, aside from Noa, have not yet been disclosed, fans are eager to learn more about these intriguing additions to the franchise.
Wes Ball, who directed the “Maze Runner” trilogy for 20th Century Studios, takes the helm as director for “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” He assumes the role from Matt Reeves, who directed the previous two films in the franchise, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.”
In an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Ball shared how he became attached to the project:
“I was looking for what to do next after I had a previous movie called Mouse Guard that crashed and burned. We were just about to make it, and I was making it with Matt Reeves at Fox. We were licking our wounds from that thing, and someone came and asked, ‘What would you do with the next Planet of the Apes? You just learned all this big mo-cap stuff, and you’re friends with Matt. What would you do?’ Actually, I was a little hesitant at first, to be honest, and then I had this idea. What I was worried about was if it was a straight part four, a direct sequel, it somehow felt unnecessary. It was sort of unimaginative in a way. It felt like it would be unfairly sort of compared to that perfect trilogy that came previously in the last 10 years.”
The screenplay is penned by a team of seasoned writers, including Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver, who wrote the scripts for the previous “Planet of the Apes” films, as well as Patrick Aison, the screenwriter of “Prey.”
Ball, Jaffa, and Silver also serve as producers on the film, alongside Joe Hartwick Jr. (“The Maze Runner”) and Jason Reed (“Mulan”). The executive producers include Peter Chernin (“Hidden Figures”) and Jenno Topping (“Ford v Ferrari”).
Several of Ball’s collaborators from the “Maze Runner” trilogy have reunited with him for this project, including composer John Paesano, cinematographer Gyula Pados, and editor Dan Zimmerman.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” commenced production in October 2022. Principal photography took place at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney, under the working title “Forbidden Zone.” On February 15, 2023, Ball announced the completion of filming with a behind-the-scenes video from the sets of the movie. The video, shared on Ball’s Twitter account, offered fans an early glimpse at the film’s title apes celebrating the end of filming in front of a blue screen, along with the massive crew applauding and cheering.
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