We assumed Matt Reeves' War for the Planet of the Apes would be the final installment in the saga, but we found out back in 2019 that a brand-new Apes movie was in early development at 20th Century Studios with Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) at the helm.
Updates had been few and far between, but we recently learned that Owen Teague (It, The Stand) had joined the cast as the "lead ape," and the studio has now announced that production will commence next month with both Freya Allan (The Witcher) and Peter Macon (The Orville) on board in undisclosed roles.
Check out some concept art and the official press release below.
This film starts an all-new chapter in the Planet of the Apes saga, picking up many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. The screenplay is by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Patrick Aison (Prey). Joe Hartwick Jr. (The Maze Runner trilogy), Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Jason Reed (Mulan) are the film’s producers. Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping are the executive producers.
Steve Asbell, President 20th Century Studios said, “’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. 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.”
The iconic franchise was rebooted (although the movies also served as prequels) back in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the new trilogy wrapped-up in 2017's superb War for the Planet of the Apes. Although there is plenty of room to continue the story, we weren't sure if this new instalment would be a follow-up or a full reboot. Based on the official description above, we're leaning towards the former.