The apes are coming back. 20th Century Studios has released the first teaser for the long-awaited sequel, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (seen below). It will pivot to a new director with Maze Runner filmmaker Wes Ball and have a new lead with The Witcher star Freya Allan.
The fourth film skips ahead after the death of Caesar as we follow his son, Cornelius (Owen Teague). The son of the leading apes from the previous trilogy will carry on his father’s legacy and goal of keeping peace among apes and preventing them from enslaving others of their kind. The continued conflicts between the humans and the apes will also balance this.
Watch the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Trailer, the First Sequel since 2017’s War of the Planet of the Apes
The trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes gives us a glimpse of our human and ape cast. Alongside the leading stars who are known for It and The Witcher, respectively, will include Kevin Durand (The Strain), Dichen Lachman (Severance), William H. Macy (Shameless), Peter Macon (The Orville), Neil Sandilands (Sweet Tooth), Sara Wiseman (A Place to Call Home), and Eka Darville (Jessica Jones).
The modern iteration of the revived franchise has grossed $1.6 billion worldwide. While the first entry scored big, when it went from Rupert Wyatt to Matt Reeves, the films had better reviews but significantly lower box office earnings. It is likely why it has been so long since we have seen an entry. After a break, we will have to see if the film can get butts in seats, which has proven to be difficult post-2020.
It is uncertain what the release of the film will look like. As of writing, SAG-AFTRA’s latest update on its negotiations with AMPTP is that it is awaiting a counter-proposal. Studios are stretching out the SAG strike as studio executives refuse to pay performers properly and want to replace some with AI replicas.
The first teaser trailer of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sets up the marketing road for the film, whether or not actors are still on strike. It is set to release in theaters on May 24, 2024.
