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‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ to Begin Production in November

The primate-driven sci-fi franchise’s latest entry will be helmed by ‘The Maze Runner’ trilogy director Wes Ball, and will feature ‘It’ star Owen Teague, Freya Allen of ‘The Witcher,’ and Peter Macon of ‘The Orville.’

The Kingdom comes! 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will begin production next month under the direction of Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy). This Disney-backed reimagining of the primate-driven sci-fi franchise picks up many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, meaning audiences will not have to sit through a complete reboot. The screenplay is penned by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Patrick Aison (Prey), ensuring a well-rounded yet familiar approach.

So far, it has been revealed that Kingdom will star Owen Teague (It), Freya Allen (The Witcher) and Peter Macon (The Orville). Steve Asbell, President of 20th Century Studios, said in a statement, “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.”

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; it was followed by four theatrical sequels and two television series.  A remake, Planet of the Apes, directed by Tim Burton, was released in 2001, then a 2011 reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was followed by two sequels, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes followed by War for the Planet of the Apes.

Joe Hartwick Jr, (The Maze Runner trilogy), Jaffa, Silver and Jason Reed (Mulan) will produce, while Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping will executive produce.

A release date for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has yet to be announced. 

Laurén Alexa's picture

Cybersecurity specialist by day, investigative journalist by night.