Director Wes Ball plans to kick off a new ‘Planet of the Apes’ trilogy with his next directional feature, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) commenced a new trilogy, which featured Andy Serkis as Caesar, a chimpanzee with enhanced intelligence. His mother was one of the test subjects for the ALZ-112 drug. She was pregnant during the trials. As a result, Caesar was born with increased intelligence and the ability to speak like humans. After the 2011 film, fans got Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), helmed by The Batman helmer Matt Reeves. The sequel puts Caesar against Koba, a human-hating bonobo who betrays the former due to his softness towards humans. The trilogy’s final entry, War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), shows how the conflict between apes and humans escalates into a large-scale war. Woody Harrelson plays the primary antagonist in this one.
In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Wes Ball expressed his desire to make a new ‘Planet of the Apes’ trilogy. “From the beginning, we thought about this as a trilogy. We had these grand ideas of where it could ultimately go and how it could fit into the legacy of these movies.”
Ball confirmed that Kingdom was meant to be the first chapter of a new trilogy, even if he does not end up helming the next two entries. He is also working on the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda video game series.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will take place nearly 300 years after Caesar’s death. Apes have now become the dominant species on the planet. On the other hand, humans are forced to live in the shadows. Fans may see the new protagonist, Noa (Owen Teague), trying to make sense of Caesar’s legacy in the film and honouring it to ensure a better future for both apes and humans. It will come out on May 24, 2024. Stay tuned for more updates.