Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Aims to Kick Off New Trilogy

The Planet of the Apes franchise was entirely revived with a trilogy of films featuring the compelling motion-capture performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar, seemingly depicting the origins of the entire franchise's mythology, and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes also hopes to be successful enough that it is the first part in an all-new trilogy. Given the success of the last trilogy of films, fans have largely been cautiously optimistic about the upcoming adventure and wondered whether this would merely be one story in the overall franchise, but director Wes Ball confirms that this new movie was developed as just the beginning. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is expected to hit theaters on May 24, 2024.

"From the beginning, we thought about this as a trilogy," Ball revealed to Empire Magazine. "We had these grand ideas of where it could ultimately go and how it could fit into the legacy of these movies. So I'm certainly talking to [the studio] right now about the next story."

With Ball currently attached to a live-action The Legend of Zelda movie, he confirmed that Kingdom was meant to be the first of three chapters, even if he doesn't direct the subsequent two films. Interestingly, Rupert Wyatt directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes, only for director Matt Reeves to step in to helm Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes.

"Those last three movies were about the end of something. They were about the end of this Moses story. They were about the end of humanity," Ball expressed. "And we thought, 'From the ashes of those previous movies, we're gonna grow a new tree to climb.' This movie is very much about the beginning of something." 

Ball had previously confirmed a significant jump in time between War and Kingdom, with the outlet revealing that it has been 300 years since the events of War.

"Noa has no idea who [Caesar] is," actor Owen Teague, who performs the mo-cap for Noa, added. "Part of his journey is a discovery of that legacy and its various interpretations. Noa has to make sense of what it all means."

The new movie is described, "Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar's reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike."

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).

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is slated to hit theaters on May 24, 2024.

Are you looking forward to the new movie? Let us know in the comments!