Since Disney completed its purchase of 20th Century Fox over three years ago, fans have eagerly waited to see some of the more unique properties that the House of Mouse now has under its umbrella. One of those is the Planet of the Apes series, which now boasts an impressive nine movies released over the past 55 years.
Most recently, superhero movie stalwart Andy Serkis starred as the leading primate Caesar in the Planet of the Apes trilogy made between 2011 and 2017, which even featured The Batman director Matt Reeves for the final two movies. Then, once Disney took over Fox in 2019, new sequels were confirmed to be in development, although news on those upcoming movies has largely flown under the radar thanks to higher-profile properties like the X-Men.
But now, thanks to a thrilling social media update, fans have their first tease for how the Planet of the Apes franchise will continue, including an image and a couple of new cast members.
Planet of the Apes 4 Shares First Image
Through the movie's official Twitter page, 20th Century Studios shared the first official image from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is set for theatrical release in 2024.
This will be the first Planet of the Apes film since Disney bought 20th Century Fox.
The image provides a look at the movie's leading character, Owen Teague's Cornelius, as he rides a horse with a bird flying down to land on his arm. They ride in front of what appears to be a massive moss-filled city on the edge of a river and a waterfall.
Planet of the Apes 4 was also confirmed to begin production in October 2022, directed by Wes Ball and also starring Freya Allen and Peter Macon.
"A new saga begins. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” picking up many years after “War for the Planet of the Apes,” starts production next month and stars Owen Teague, Freya Allen, and Peter Macon. Directed by Wes Ball, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” arrives in 2024."
Looking at Disney's slate of movies in 2024, there is an open slot for a 20th Century Studios movie on May 24, which will likely be where Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes falls in the schedule. Should that release date become official, it would give Disney 20 months to complete filming and post-production for the sequel.
Apes Sequel Adds to Jam-Packed 2024 Slate
On its base, getting a release date for the fourth Planet of the Apes movie is exciting, as the anthropoid-centric sequel finally has a place in Disney's upcoming release schedule after its move from Fox Studios. This will add another chapter to an exciting legacy of movies, and with the previous trilogy's ground-breaking progress on the CGI front behind Andy Serkis, there will certainly be anticipation to see what comes from a visual standpoint in 2024.
Additionally, Planet of the Apes 4 joins a massive slate of movies across multiple studios that release in that 12-month span, all of them being major blockbuster outings.
Marvel continues its trend of four releases that year in Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the MCU, most recently including the newly-confirmed Deadpool 3 on September 6 with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. That doesn't even include two Spider-Man spinoffs from Sony, James Cameron's third Avatar movie, and Todd Phillips' Joker: Folie à Deux from the DC side of the equation.
Hopefully, the Planet of the Apes sequel will be able to carve out its own place in the proceedings, with the extended wait after 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes likely leading fans to be ready for a new adventure. Now, with filming set to begin in the next few weeks, the updates on this fourth movie should come more regularly as the franchise comes back into the spotlight.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will begin filming in October 2022 ahead of its 2024 release in theaters.
