Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Do You Need to Watch the Other Movies First?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is heading to theaters in May, and the film is expected to take place hundreds of years after the previous trilogy. Recently, ComicBook.com paid a visit to the film’s edit bay, and director Wes Ball spoke to members of the press about the latest installment to the franchise that began back in 1968. The original franchise included five films before Tim Burton made his own version in 2001. Then, the Andy Serkis-led trilogy began in 2011 and came to an end in 2017. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes being the tenth movie of the franchise, we asked Ball if moviegoers need to see all of the other films in order to understand the next one. While having seen the previous films won’t be a requirement, it will likely enhance the experience. 

“I think so,” Ball said when asked if you can watch Kingdom without having seen the previous films. “They would be greatly rewarded by having knowledge of the previous movies, but it is certainly its own standalone story … I am really hoping that an audience who goes to see this movie at least is aware that it is connected to other movies, even if they haven’t seen them,” Ball added, revealing an opening scene will “get people up to speed.” 

“But we try really hard to find that middle ground where we don’t want to sit there and explain everything over again,” he added. “We kind of let the audience lean in and do their own math … But for the most part, I think it’s very much one standalone thing.” 

“There also are lots of Easter eggs for people that are fans from the ’68 version,” Ball added. “There’s a ton. All the way down to the sounds that we literally took from the movie and put it in that I think die-hard fans will appreciate and remember.” 

Based on Ball’s comments, we’d recommend at least watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) before checking out Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It also sounds like watching Planet of the Apes (1968) will enhance the experience if you’re looking out for easter eggs.

Are the Original Planet of the Apes Movies Canon?

While the most recent Apes trilogy ties directly into Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the original five movies might be set in their own separate universe. In fact, Ball explained to members of the press at the edit bay visit that canon has always been “loose” in this franchise. 

“Yeah. I would consider them canon, but even in the last trilogy, even though they say Mars astronauts go missing in Rise, I don’t think Matt [Reeves] really thought about time-traveling astronauts in his two movies,” Ball explained. “So they’re always a little fuzzy with… I don’t think in this world that we’re creating there’s going to be a time machine that sends apes back to the… We’re in a different age kind of thing for that, but we still try to… That’s what I love about these movies. They still feel connected somehow, even if we do drop a few ideas that don’t really hold up anymore. But Beneath, fans of that movie might see some things in this, that might remind them … You know what I mean? … We took all those movies in a stew and found the pieces that may hopefully feel related to … Canon’s always been a little loose in these movies, I think.” 

Directed by Wes Ball, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes stars Owen Teague (IT), Freya Allan (The Witcher), Kevin Durand (Locke & Key), Peter Macon (Shameless), and William H. Macy (Fargo). The movie opens in theaters on May 10th.