Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Launch Moved Forward Two Weeks
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the ninth title in the Planet of the Apes franchise, has seen its release date brought forward two weeks. Previously set to air on May 24th, it will now launch on May 10th.
May 24th would have seen Kingdom competing with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga around Memorial Day, potentially causing both blockbusters to lose out. Bringing Kingdom forward two weeks will prevent competition and hopefully ensure both moves enjoy box office success.
The Apes Franchise
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the ninth instalment in the franchise, which started with the 1968 sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes. It is also kind of the fourth instalment in the reboot prequel trilogy, which is numerically awkward but comes as a result of the box office success enjoyed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes released in 2011, 2014, and 2017 respectively.
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
The latest instalment takes place before the original film but following the events of the reboot trilogy. It occurs some 300 years after Andy Serkis’s Caesar takes on humankind. Unfortunately, that means Serkis won’t be returning for this film, but he has, according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, lent his incredible ape acting skills to Owen Teague, who will be playing the main ape in the latest instalment.
In the movie, some of the apes have taken Caesar’s teachings and used them to develop civilizations and followings, while many haven’t heard of him.
No More Andy Serkis
As Caesar died in the final stages of War, it would have been unlikely to have brought Serkis back as Casear, although the director did toy with the idea of having him take on a new role in the film. Ultimately, though, the title character has been handed to Owen Teague. The 24-year-old will play the title character Cornelius.
A Little Bit Star Wars
The film is said to be more adventurous than the other three movies in the reboot, with director Wes Ball claiming he wanted to introduce a little bit more Star Wars into the franchise. Viewers can expect a quest narrative. As reported by geektyrant, Producer Joe Hartwick had previously described the reboot trilogy as being “super-intense” and hoping to take the last movie in a different direction.
What Next?
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will launch on May 10th, 2024, and as well as Owen Teague in the lead role, other confirmed cast members include Freya Allen from The Witcher, Peter Macon of The Orville, and Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Although this is set to be the final film in the prequel reboot, as it is the fourth in the trilogy, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see more, if Kingdom proves a success.