Disney and 20th Century officially announce the fourth Planet of the Apes movie, titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and shared an early first look. 20th Century Fox rebooted the original sci-fi franchise back in 2011 with Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes. While Matt Reeves took over directing duties for the two sequels, all three films revolved around Andy Serkis' Caesar. The Planet of the Apes movies became incredibly successful and Serkis earned wide acclaim for his performance and motion capture work. The franchise's success fueled Disney's decision to begin developing another installment after acquiring 20th Century Studios.
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The Maze Runner trilogy director Wes Ball has been busy developing Planet of the Apes 4 for the studios for the last few years. The project is expected to launch a new trilogy for Disney and 20th Century set in the same continuity as the recent Planet of the Apes reboot. Throughout the sequel's development, plot details have been kept mostly under wraps other than it would pick up after War for the Planet of the Apes' ending and Caesar's death. Planet of the Apes 4 eventually cast Owen Teague as the movie's new lead ape.
Now, 20th Century officially revealed the title of the new movie is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and shared an early piece of concept art of the futuristic movie. The art confirms that the movie takes place many years after War for the Planet of the Apes in the franchise timeline. The news also included the casting announcement for The Witcher star Freya Allen and The Orville's Peter Macon. No official release date has been announced for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and it is not confirmed that the new movie is coming sometime in 2024 after production begins next month.
What Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Could Be About
The first look at Disney's new Planet of the Apes movie does not provide many details about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' story. One thing that is clear is that it has been many years since War for the Planet of the Apes ended. The franchise's new lead ape is pictured in front of a human city that is almost entirely in ruins and overrun with plants. This would not be possible after a short period of time, indicating that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes could take place decades after War for the Planet of the Apes.
The Planet of the Apes 4 title is the biggest tease of what the movie should be about, though. If Rise of the Planet of the Apes was about the origin of the Simian Flu virus, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was about their uprising, and War for the Planet of the Apes was about the ape and human conflict reaching a boiling point, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes can be about their life after conquering the world. It even potentially teases the idea of different kingdoms of apes now existing. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes could even be very similar to the original Planet of the Apes movie in that regard and show what it is like for humans to live on a planet that is now ruled by apes.