Disney-owned 20th Century Studios' new Planet of the Apes movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, has officially wrapped principal photography, with director Wes Ball announcing the news over Twitter with our first look at some behind-the-scenes footage.
The brief clip gives us a glimpse of the film's simian stars in CGI form, as the actors (it's impossible to make out who anyone is) celebrate in front of the camera in their mo-cap suits.
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.