New Planet of the Apes Movie Could Film This Summer
After much radio silence on the matter, 20th Century Studios have offered an update on the next entry in the Planet of the Apes film franchise, confirming that a script for the next movie is nearly done with production set to potentially begin this year. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell confirmed the news, revealing: "We are expecting a draft very shortly, and it's Wes Ball attached to direct. We hope to go by the late summer, early fall." Ball, previously known for directing the Maze Runner films, was announced as director back in 2019.
The Planet of the Apes franchise has long been a crown-jewel of the 20th Century collection with the most recent trilogy of movies arriving prior to the studio being absorbed by The Walt Disney Company. Ball's movie marks the first foray back into the series with Disney backing them, and though specific details about what the new movie will contain haven't been revealed, it does appear it will still be in canon with the most recent series of movies.
"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. "
Prior to being hired for the new Planet of the Apes Ball was set to direct an adaptation of the Redwall books, utilizing motion capture and CGI in a big way as revealed in the test footage that made its way online. Redwall was one of many projects inherited by Disney after the acquisition however and sadly fell on the chopping block. Ball previously said however that Redwall failing to move forward is what landed him the new Apes movie, in part because they were planning to utilize similar technologies on Red Wall that had been used on Apes. Matt Reeves, who directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, was previously producing Ball's Redwall adaptation. It's unclear if he'll have involvement in the new movie.
What do you hope to see in the next entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.