Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Director Says Andy Serkis Could Return to Franchise

After wowing audiences with his motion-capture performance of Gollum for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings franchise, Andy Serkis delivered another seminal experience as Caesar in three Planet of the Apes films, and director of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Wes Ball isn't ruling out Serkis' return to the saga. With the upcoming sequel set 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Serkis' iconic ape is definitively dead, as Ball noted that Serkis is such a powerhouse of a performer that it's possible he could bring a new character to life in a future installment. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to hit theaters on May 24, 2024.

"We talked about it, for sure. Like, 'Could you play another ape character?' I entertained that thought for a long time, because I thought it would be f-cking cool. And [Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes director] Matt [Reeves] would always say, 'Andy is the best actor I've ever worked with,'" Ball shared with Empire Magazine, per /Film. "He's just too iconic, in a way. So we decided it's probably best to think about future movies where maybe he can come in."

Even if Serkis isn't directly involved in Kingdom, both his legacy as an actor and his Caesar character will be felt. Star Owen Teague, who delivers the mo-cap performance of Noa, recalled to the outlet how Serkis' performance as the titular ape in 2005's King Kong served as inspiration, and also that he connected with Serkis for advice on the project.

"I became an actor because I saw Andy Serkis play King Kong when I was a child. I was so in love with that character, and I remember my mom explained to me, 'That's a person in motion-capture and that's his performance.' I thought, 'Oh, I can do that!' So when this came around, I was sure I wouldn't get it because it was too good [to be true]," Teague admitted to the outlet. "I Zoomed with [Serkis] and he said, 'How can I help?' He gave me a lot of ape-related advice. He said, 'You're not impersonating an ape. You're putting on a costume of that character.' So it becomes a really internal process, as opposed to an imitation."

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.

Would you like to see Serkis return to the series? Let us know in the comments!