Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Does Caesar Appear?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is heading into previews tonight, and the film marks the ninth installment of the franchise that began back in 1968. It was previously announced that the movie would take place between the previous trilogy and the original 1968 film. Director Wes Ball confirmed the film is set hundreds of years after War for the Planet of the Apes, which means fans aren’t expecting to see Ceasar, the main ape played by Andy Serkis in the last three films. Not only does Ceasar’s presence loom big throughout Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but he’s also seen briefly at the beginning of the film. However, not in the way you might think. Warning: Mild Spoilers Ahead! 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens with text that quickly explains the events of the previous three films. From there, it cuts to Ceasar’s funeral. The iconic character is seen covered in flowers on a funeral pyre with many of his fellow apes surrounding him. After the scene, the film jumps to the future with the reveal that it’s now “Many generations later…” 

Throughout the film, we learn that not every ape is aware of Ceasar’s history whereas others have distorted his message for their own gain. Only Raka, the orangutan played by Peter Macon, has vast knowledge of Ceasar and his days on Earth, but even some of his so-called facts have been slightly distorted by time. 

Do You Need To Watch Every Apes Movie Before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

Earlier this year, ComicBook paid a visit to the film’s edit bay, and director Wes Ball spoke to members of the press about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 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 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 in order to feel some of the emotional beats of the film and to watch Planet of the Apes (1968) if you want to catch some of the references. 

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters.