Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Adds William H. Macy

Fargo and Shameless star William H. Macy has joined the cast of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes according to a new report. Deadline reveals that the Oscar-nominee has rounded out the cast of the upcoming movie, but who he’ll be playing in the film is unclear. Though best known for his roles in dramatic movies like Boogie Nights and Seabiscuit, Macy joining the Apes series marks an interesting path for him as an actor, having previously not really appeared in franchises. Considering the placement of the movie in the timeline of the Apes franchise, it’s possible that Macy, along with other cast members, could be playing humans, but it sure seems like this movie will feature a cast composed almost entirely of apes. 

Macy joins a cast that includes  Owen Teague (IT) in the role of the lead ape in the movie with Freya Allen (The Witcher) starring as the lead human of the film. Peter Macon (The Orville),  Eka Darville (Marvel’s Jessica Jones), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Travis Jeffery (Preacher), Neil Sandilands (Sweet Tooth), Sara Wiseman, Lydia Peckham (Cowboy Bebop), and Ras-Samuel Weld A’abzgi also star.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will mark the tenth movie overall in the long-running science fiction and to the joy of fans around the world the film will be a follow-up to the 2010s trilogy of movies that included Rise, Dawn, and War. The new film will pick up many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. The Maze Runner trilogy director Wes Ball is at the helm of the new movie, which is based on a script by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Patrick Aison (Prey). 

“We have a take. We have a way of staying in the universe that was created before us, but we’re also opening ourselves up in being able to do some really cool new stuff,” Ball revealed to Discussing Film in May of 2020. “Again, I’m trying to be careful here. I’ll say this, for fans of the original three don’t worry – you’re in good hands. The original writers and producers that came up with Rise and Dawn, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, they’re also on board with this. Josh Friedman is writing this thing, a lot of the same crew is kind of involved. We will feel like we’re part of that original trilogy, but at the same time we’re able to do some really cool new stuff. It will be really exciting to see on the biggest screen possible.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released in 2024.