Audiences will return to the Planet of the Apes in 2024. Fox just announced that the title of the next film in the franchise is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and it goes into production in October. As previously reported, it’s directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) and stars Owen Teague (It, The Stand) as the primary ape. Now The Witcher’s Freya Allen has joined the cast as the main human along with Peter Macon of The Orville.
According to a press release, the film picks up “many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes,” but also “starts an all-new chapter in the Planet of the Apes saga.”
“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,” president of 20th Century Studios Steve Asbell said in a press release. “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 previous film ended with Caesar (Andy Serkis) dying but his friend Maurice (Karin Konoval) promising him his son will know of him and his legacy. You’d imagine this story, which is written by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver, who worked on the Avatar sequels as well as previous Apes movies, along with Patrick Aison (Prey), will pick up somewhere from that.
Here’s the full image released by the studio, which shows, we assume, Teague’s character with a overgrown city.
Though Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does not yet have a release date, the studio head saying 2024, and Disney’s release schedule having May 24, 2024 listed as an “Untitled 20th Century” film, make it seem likely that’s the date.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
