Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Adds Locke & Key Star as Villain

Production on the next chapter in the Planet of the Apes franchise, 2024's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is set to begin soon and fresh off the news of one piece of casting for the film another has just dropped. Deadline brings word that character actor Kevin Durand, best known for appearing in Swamp Thing, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Netflix's Locke & Key, has joined the cast, According to the trade, while not confirmed, sources reveal that Durand's part will be another ape in the cast and will "likely to be the villain" of the sequel.

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. Owen Teague (IT) will star in the film, taking on 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) and Eka Darville (Marvel's Jessica Jones) will also star.

Wes Ball of The Maze Runner trilogy will direct Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes which was penned by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Patrick Aison (Prey). Joe Hartwick Jr. (The Maze Runner trilogy), Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Jason Reed (Mulan) are the film's producers. Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping are the executive producers.

"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," Steve Asbell, President 20th Century Studios, said previously. "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."

"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.