Everything We Know About Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes!

Get ready for ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’, the 10th film in the science fiction franchise and first since 2017! 

As we prepare for the big blockbusters of the summer, fans are eagerly awaiting Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is the fourth movie of the reboot series. The franchise is no stranger to twists and turns, so let’s dive into everything we know about this next installment!

Storyline

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes us into a new era, about 300 years after Caesar, who tragically passed away in War for the Planet of the Apes, brought his fellow apes to a livable society. Like in the original Planet of the Apes, from 1968, humans are seen in a more primal state, while the apes, now led by a new king, Proximus Caesar, have the upper hand.

In the years since the original Caesar’s passing, new regimes have failed to carry on his commendable teachings, now enslaving humans and power tripping to build up their empires. A chimpanzee by the name of Noa is the new protagonist in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and he, alongside Mae, one of the few quick-witted humans under ape rule, will have to overcome Proximus Caesar and his unruly ways.

Cast and Crew

Since Caesar won’t be in this entry of the franchise, that means no Andy Serkis, who played the former ape king in the first three movies of the reboot series and was nominated for “Best Actor” at the 2018 Saturn Awards for his performance in War for the Planet of the Apes. Serkis praised director Wes Ball’s vision for the upcoming film, saying it will “blow people’s minds.”

Ball is no stranger to sci-fi movies with dystopian settings, as he directed the Maze Runner trilogy from 2014-19 and helped produce the 2017 horror flick, Phoenix Forgotten. Owen Teague, known for his role as Patrick Hockstetter in Andy Muschietti’s It film series, is Noa, who has to “make sense of what it [his journey] all means.” Kevin Durand plays the aforementioned Proximus Caesar and Primetime Emmy Award-winner Peter Macon will take on the role of Raka, a wise orangutan. The Witcher’s Freya Allan stars as Mae and Oscar nominee William H. Macy plays a human character whose name isn’t known as of yet.

Trailers

20th Century Studios released its first teaser trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes on Nov. 2, 2023, and followed it up with a full-length version on Feb. 11. 

In the trailers, we see a very vocal Proximus Caesar, who’s adorned with a crown and dressed in battle gear, like his fellow soldiers. There’s an interesting predator and prey dynamic between the humans and apes, which is a callback to the Planet of the Apes series of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Brief mentions of evolution, tradition, and human technology also come about, which could be major plot points in the film. Eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that Mae’s clothes are different from the other humans’ and may point to her profession being an astronaut, just like Charlton Heston and his colleagues were in the original.

Release Date

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released in theatre’s on May 10, and we can’t wait to see what this next installment is all about!