20th Century Studios has released the first trailer teaser for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ahead of a full sneak peek being released online tomorrow.
It doesn't reveal much, though we do see an ape - presumably Caesar's son, Cornelius - on horseback and with the bird seen in the concept art released last September.
Many fans had hoped this next chapter would jump ahead further into the future, taking us to the post-apocalyptic world ruled over by the armour-clad apes seen in the original Planet of the Apes movies. Instead, it seems this next planned trilogy will take its time telling a new story during this earlier moment in history.
Earlier this year, writer Rick Jaffa said, "Caesar created something and left a legacy. So then the questions are: what happens with that? What becomes of his legacy? Do we want to rush toward an ending [the beginning of the original Planet of the Apes], or do we want to find an interesting story to tell with interesting characters?"
There's clearly no rush to get to that point in the story and we're intrigued to see how Cornelius' story brings us to a place where another Caesar becomes the tyrannical dictator we all know and fear. Then, there's the time travel of it all (and we still don't know whether this movie's apes will speak like humans).
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the first movie in this franchise made by Disney's 20th Century Studios, was directed by Wes Ball from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Patrick Aison, and Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
The latter duo, who also worked on Avatar: The Way of Water, previously penned Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and while plot details are being kept a closely guarded secret, this movie is expected to start an all-new chapter in the Planet of the Apes saga, picking up several years after the conclusion of 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes.
Planet of the Apes remains one of 20th Century Studios' most popular and enduring franchises, amassing more than $1.7 billion worldwide. Based on a novel by Pierre Boulle, the first film in the series was released by Twentieth Century Fox in 1968 and went on to become one of the year’s biggest hits, winning a special Academy Award.
Since then, Tim Burton, Rupert Wyatt, and Matt Reeves have all put their spin on the franchise, and it's now Ball's turn to pick up where they left off.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to be released on May 24, 2024.