Per Deadline, the 4th entry in 20th Century Studios’ Planet Of The Apes reboot now has a star and an official title: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, with the human lead going to Freya Allan of Netflix’s The Witcher. She joins Owen Teague and Peter Macon (The Orville) under the direction of Wes Ball (The director of the Maze Runner trilogy) with a script by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, and Patrick Aison, with filming set to commence next month.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes First Look
We also have a first look at Kingdom here:
We see an ape riding a horse out by a waterfall. Presumably it’s back in the Red Woods of the previous 3 films, but we won’t know until the film releases. The shot seems to indicate that the new film will follow the visual tone of Matt Reeves’ installments (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War For the Planet of the Apes), both of which carried earthy looks and muted colors to emphasize the seriousness of their stories. Speaking on the upcoming sequel, 20th Century Studios head Steve Asbell stated,
“Planet of the Apes is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio’s legacy. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”
The Planet of the Apes franchise has been a staple of Hollywood ever since the original was released in 1968. The original film took inspiration from the novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle and saw leading man Charlton Heston as an astronaut who landed on a future earth wherein primates had become the dominate species on earth.
RELATED: THE ROCK REVEALED NEW COMIC ACCURATE BLACK ADAM MOVIE POSTER
The success of that film lead to 4 direct sequels spanning from 1970-1973, 2 tv shows , a Tim Burton-directed remake in 2001, and finally the ongoing reboot series that began with Rise of the Planet of the Apes back in 2011 and originally concluding with 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. The franchise has collectively raked in $1.7 billion globally, becoming one of 20th Century Studios’ biggest successes with critics and audiences alike.
What interests me about this project is the return of writing duo Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. The two penned Rise of the Planet of the Apes and co-wrote Dawn of the Planet of the Apes with Matt Bomback in 2014, but stepped into producing roles for War for the Planet of the Apes. They’ve been with this reboot ever since it started, blowing away peoples’ initial expectations and combining blockbuster spectacle with thoughtful ideas across the trilogy.
With previous director Matt Reeves now working over at Warner Bros on a sequel and spinoffs for The Batman, Wes Ball seems like a solid choice to take the reigns. His work on The Maze Runner showed he’s good working with actors and shooting exciting action, so we should be able to expect a solid follow-up here.
RELATED: HOCUS POCUS 2 REVIEW: SILLY SEQUEL LACKS THE HORROR OF ITS PREDECESSOR, BUT SHOULD ENTERTAIN FANS
It will also be intriguing to see how Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes financially performs in a COVID landscape and the longer-than-usual distance between installments. Rise, Dawn, and War were each released 3 years apart, whereas this will come out 6 years after the previous installment. We’ll see how this Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes rules once int hits theaters in 2024.
What are your thoughts on the title and casting for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? Are you excited to see where the saga goes next? What did you think of the previous installments? Do you think you’d survive in a simian-run society? Let us know in the comments below and on our Twitter.
KEEP READING: CAPTAIN AMERICA: NEW WORLD ORDER: MARK RUFFALO RUMORED TO REPRISE HULK ROLE IN CAPTAIN AMERICA 4
Source: Deadline
