The director of the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes film confirmed what type of movie will be on display.
The next chapter of the Planet of the Apes franchise is set to hit theaters on May 24, 2024, and will be set many years after the trilogy of films that were led by Andy Serkis as Caesar.
Disney already let slip a potential plot twist centering around one of the main characters of the upcoming title, and director Wes Ball even teased what is to come by saying "Caesar's legacy will continue."
Just four weeks ago, the first teaser trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was released, giving fans a bit of insight into what they should expect from the upcoming sci-fi epic.
What Kind of Story Will 2024's Planet of the Apes Have?
In the January 2024 issue of Empire Magazine, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball revealed that the story of the upcoming movie can be best described as a fantastical quest.
This revelation comes as no surprise due to the nature of the teaser trailer that was recently released, but Ball specifically stated that he felt as though the franchise as a whole could benefit from receiving a dose of Star Wars:
"When I first started on it, I said, 'I feel like Apes needs a little bit of 'Star Wars.'"
The director also added that while "it's all still very grounded in reality," just as the previous three Apes movies were, Kingdom "is essentially a quest narrative" where the main character "ultimately becomes his true self:"
"It’s all still very grounded in reality, but it is essentially a quest narrative. Our main character — the young, impressionable Noa ['It'’s Owen Teague] — meets characters along the way and becomes awakened as he winds up in a place that will test him, and he ultimately becomes his true self."
Ball also revealed how Andy Serkis' Caesar will play into the story of the upcoming movie, and specifically how he and his legacy will be thought of as more of a mythical figure than anything else:
"What’s happened to his memory? How might it have been corrupted or abused or adopted?"
Ball also described exactly what led him to tell "a big historical epic" with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and specifically what he took inspiration from in one of the previous films:
"What I thought was really interesting in 'War' was that Bad Ape [Steve Zahn] became self-aware, and he had no clue who Caesar was. So somewhere out in this world there are other apes who have no idea who Caesar is, but also still came to sentience. And that led to this whole idea of doing a big historical epic."
How Will Kingdom Differ From Other Planet of the Apes Films?
As Ball mentioned, Kingdom is going to bring in a lot of fantastical sci-fi elements to its story that the previous three Planet of the Apes films didn't have. While the Caesar trilogy did include a lot of sci-fi, it was more focused on Caesar and the apes being at war rather than a quest journey of a particular character.
If Ball did truly take a lot of inspiration from Star Wars and other franchises where the main character goes on this big, epic quest, fans can already have a bit of an idea of what to expect before even walking into the theater.
The main dialogue in the trailer already teased that Noa is in search of knowledge, and while Kingdom will most definitely still include the action, war, and drama that past films have showcased, it is now clear that it will be a character-driven quest narrative led by its main character.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released in theaters on May 24, 2024.
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