20th Century confirmed upcoming requel “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” set years after the events of “War for the Planet of the Apes” previous prequel trilogy helmed by Matt Reeves. “Kingdom” will be directed by Wes Ball (“Maze Runner”) from a script by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison. Joe Hartwick Jr., Jaffa, Silver and Jason Reed are the film’s producers with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping serving as executive producers. Owen Teague will play the lead ape, with “The Witcher” actress Freya Allen and Peter Macon also starring. The film is set for a 2024 release. “‘Planet of the Apes’ is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio’s legacy,” Steve Asbell, President 20th Century Studios, said in a statement. “With ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,’ we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”
IndieWire’s Eric Kohn praised the 2017 “Planet of the Apes” film “War for the Planet of the Apes,” writing that the feature provided a “dynamic finale” to director Reeves’ trilogy. “It’s a given that an expensive 21st century sci-fi movie with talking animals, exploding tanks, and jarring machine guns would look and sound great, but Reeves applies these effects with such a measured strategy that they’re always working in service of a greater narrative agenda,” Kohn wrote. “‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ focuses on survivors making their way through a broken world; Reeves, wading his way through a commercial system that doesn’t always prioritize quality, can probably relate.” The original 1968 “Planet of the Apes” spurred four sequels concluding in 1973. Two TV series and a 2001 remake ultimately lead to the 2011 prequel films, starting with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” directed by Rupert Wyatt. The film explained the origin story for the intelligent apes and starred James Franco and Andy Serkis. Director Reeves replaced Wyatt for follow-up “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and the subsequent “War for the Planet of the Apes.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
