Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Visual Effects Team Teases SPOILER Might Not Be Dead

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters, and the film is currently up on Rotten Tomatoes with an 81% critics score after 262 reviews. ComicBook’s Spencer Perry gave the film a 4 out of 5, and called it “a grand time, and a worthy follow-up.” The new movie takes place hundreds of years after the events of the previous trilogy, and while the characters may be new, a lot of folks behind the scenes are no strangers to the world of Apes. ComicBook recently had the chance to chat with some of the Wētā FX team members who brought the film to life, including Visual Effects Supervisor, Erik Winquist. During the interview, Winquist was joined by VFX Producer Danielle Immerman and Animation Supervisor Paul Story, and they talked about how the previous films helped the production of Kingdom. During the chat, we also brought a major death in the film, and the team confirmed that a certain character might still be alive. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

In the film, the loveable orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) was swept away by currents, and his fellow apes assumed he was dead. However, we never saw a body, and the character can be heard laughing after the movie’s end credits. We joked to the Wētā team that we’re “Raka truthers” who think he’ll be back if the movie gets a sequel. The team laughed at the suggestion and teased that Raka may be alive after all.

“Did you stick around long enough?” Winquist asked, referring to Raka’s laugh in the end credits. Considering how end-credit moments are often teases for the future, we’re holding out hope that this means Raka survived.  

What Is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes About?

You can read a description of the film here: “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.” 

The cast for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is anchored by Owen Teague (IT) as Noa, a young chimpanzee. He’s joined in the film by Kevin Duran (Locke & Key) as Proximus Caesar, a powerful chieftain that has appropriated human technology; Travis Jeffery as Anaya; Lydia Peckham as Soona, a female chimpanzee and a friend of Noa. Neil Sandilands as Koro; Peter Macon as Raka; and Freya Allan (The Witcher) as Mae, one of the few human characters to appear in the movie  

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters. Stay tuned for more from our interview with the VFX team behind Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. You can learn more about Wētā FX here.