The sequel trilogy to Matt Reeves’s Planet of the Apes films has seen its first look, as audiences can now get a glimpse of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
The sequel will feature an entirely new cast of characters, following on from the legacy of Andy Serkis’s Caesar. The Kingdom will start its reign with a cast featuring the likes of Owen Teague, The Witcher’s Freya Allan, Joe Hartwick Jr., and Jessica Jones alum Eka Darville.
Set many years after War for the Planet of the Apes, according to its synopsis, the film will be directed by The Maze Runner trilogy’s Wes Ball. Ball comes in after the previous director Reeves became preoccupied with the new Robert Pattison-led The Batman saga.
20th Century’s first look at the new showcased what is likely to be Owen Teague’s character riding a horse through the ruins of a city, likely to be Sam Francisco. Production has begun for the project in Sydney, Australia at the recently renamed Disney Studios Australia (formerly Fox Studios Australia).
The pop culture resurgence of Planet of the Apes has proven valuable to 20th Century, with the franchise previously deemed dead twice before following flop films in 1972 and 2001. New life was breathed into the franchise thanks to Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, before Reeves took on Dawn and War.
It also makes it one of cinema’s longest-running franchises and continuities, with the first film from 1968 starring Charlton Heston still canonical to the last trilogy.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to release sometime in 2024, with pre-production beginning July 2022.