Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Director Teases Sequel’s Villain

Keeping in line with the history of the franchise, the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes won’t entirely deliver a clear-cut battle between good and evil, but more an examination of protagonists and antagonists, as the “villain” is merely a figure with a different motivation. Director Wes Ball recently explained how Proximus, played by Kevin Durand, isn’t necessarily a villain but is instead an adversary to the main characters akin to other inventors in human history who were met with tension in their attempts to push forward. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes land in theaters on May 24, 2024.

“The interesting thing about Proximus is that, with some help, he’s rediscovered electricity,” Ball detailed to Entertainment Weekly. “To apes that forgot about all these things, that’s like a magic power. So they’re experimenting with it. I don’t even think you can call him a villain. I would call him an adversary. You understand him, you can relate to him in a way. It’s an interesting character who isn’t just a mustache-twirling cutout.”

The ultimate goal of the more heroic characters in the franchise’s history is that both humans and apes could live together in harmony, though it has been figures who wish their species had more power than the other species that caused conflict and bloodshed. In the decades-long history of the series, audiences have seen both humans and apes serving as the main threats in a narrative.

While War for the Planet of the Apes saw the ape characters attempting to find peace and sanctuary from the extremist human characters, it has been 300 years since the events of that film and humans look to merely be a footnote in the new adventure.

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 will be landing in theaters on May 24, 2024.

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