This year, a new Planet of the Apes film awaits us in theaters. Part 4 of the reboot of the sci-fi saga takes a big leap forward in time. Here you can find all the important information about the German release of the sequel
For a long time, it was unclear whether the Planet of the Apes reboot from 2011 would get another sequel. The story seemed to have reached its natural conclusion after three films. But now we know: Planet of the Apes 4 is coming and heralds a new era. The title of the eagerly awaited sci-fi sequel already announces this: Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom.
When will Planet of the Apes 4 be released in cinemas?
Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom opens in German cinemas on May 8, 2024, just over a year and a half after filming began. Disney is bringing the sequel to the big screen under the 20th Century Studios banner. The original title of the film is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
When does Planet of the Apes 4 take place?
When it was announced, it was questionable whether Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom would follow on from the previous films or mark a reboot. We now know: It’s a sequel that deals with Caesar’s legacy and is set around 300 years after his death. There is not much left of human civilization. The apes have established their own kingdom and rule the planet.
Here you can watch the trailer for Planet of the Apes 4:
The ape kingdom is not a paradisiacal place, however. Menacing shadows are spreading. The power-hungry leader Proximus Caesar twists the words of his predecessor, enslaves other tribes and targets the ancient technology of the humans. As a result, the chimpanzee Noa embarks on a dangerous journey with a young human woman named Mae to stop Proximus.
Who is in the cast of Planet of the Apes 4?
Andy Serkis does not return as Caesar in the sequel. Instead, we get to know completely new characters. The cast known so far includes:
Owen Teague as Noa (a chimpanzee)
Freya Allan as Mae (a young woman)
Kevin Durand as Proximus Caesar (a pygmy chimpanzee)
Travis Jeffery as Anaya (a chimpanzee)
Lydia Peckham as Soona (a female chimpanzee)
Neil Sandilands as Koro (a chimpanzee)
Peter Macon as Raka (an orangutan)
William H. Macy
Why is Andy Serkis not returning in Planet of the Apes 4?
The first three parts have already changed the cast several times. The only constant in the Planet of the Apes reboot was Andy Serkis, who brought the ape Caesar to life via motion capture, similar to what he did with Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. But why isn’t Serkis in part 4?
(Andy Serkis as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes films)
Director Wes Ball explains the decision as follows (via Slash Film ):
We talked [with Andy Serkis about his return], no question. ‘Could you play another ape?’ I toyed with that idea for a long time because I thought it would be fucking cool. [Director] Matt [Reeves] always said, ‘Andy is the best actor I’ve ever worked with.
In the end, Ball decided against it:
[Andy Serkis] is just too iconic, in a way. So we decided it was probably best to think about future movies that he might be able to be in.
After Planet of the Apes 4, will there be parts 5 and 6?
Ball has already confirmed that Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom will be the start of a new trilogy, following on from the continuity of the reboot (via Screen Rant ):
The last three movies were about the end of something. […] It was about the end of humanity. And we thought, ‘From the ashes of these previous movies, we’re going to grow a new tree that we can climb.’ This movie is about the beginning of something new.
What Planet of the Apes movies are there so far?
So that you don’t lose track, we’ve listed all the Planet of the Apes films released to date in order of release, including directors.
The original Planet of the Apes series:
Planet of the Apes (Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968)
Return to the Planet of the Apes (Ted Post, 1970)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (Don Taylor, 1971)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (J. Lee Tompson, 1972)
The Battle for the Planet of the Apes (J. Lee Tompson, 1973)
The Planet of the Apes remake:
Planet of the Apes (Tim Burton, 2001)
The Planet of the Apes reboot series:
Planet of the Apes: Prevolution (Rupert Wyatt, 2011)
Planet of the Apes: Revolution (Matt Reeves, 2014)
Planet of the Apes: Survival (Matt Reeves, 2017)
Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom (Wes Ball, 2024)
Who is the director of Planet of the Apes 4?
Wes Ball, who previously brought the dystopian Maze Runner trilogy to theaters, takes the director’s chair for Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom. He was inspired by one of the most brutal adventure films ever made: Apocalypto from 2006, as Ball revealed to the film magazine Empire in October 2023.
Apocalypto takes us back to the early 16th century and tells the story of a Mayan village on the North American peninsula of Yucatán, which is attacked by a hostile tribe before the Spanish colonization of Central America begins. There are a number of motifs hidden here that can also be discovered in the Planet of the Apes films.
