Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has two replacements for Caesar, and they represent the perfect way to continue the franchise. Rather than abandoning or rebooting the saga, Kingdom will be a sequel to War for thePlanet of the Apes, which is great news considering how good the previous films were. The reboot trilogy that began with 2011’s Rise of thePlanet of the Apes built an incredible legacy, particularly through the character of Caesar, played by Andy Serkis. Caesar died at the end of War, allowing the next installment to focus on a new character.
Kingdom’s placement in the Planet of the Apes timeline means it can explore the aftermath of the previous trilogy while serving as the beginning of a new story. The events of 1968’s Planet of the Apes may still be far away in terms of chronology, but everything about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ story looks closer to the original movies than to the previous trilogy. Therefore, now was the perfect for the saga to move on from Caesar.
Wes Ball’s Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes: Cast & Character Guide
Owen Teague leads the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast as Cornelius. But who else is starring alongside him and what characters do they play?
Noa Is Replacing Caesar As Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Hero (With A Twist)
Noa, played by Owen Teague, will replace Andy Serkis’ Caesar as Planet of the Apes’ hero. However, the story arc of this new lead character is set to be very different from that of Caesar. Noa is described as an ordinary ape within this society, meaning he is neither related to Caesar nor part of Proximus Caesar’s inner circle. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ new hero seems to be more of an underdog than the “chosen one,” which sets him apart from Caesar and what Serkis’ character went through in the previous trilogy.
The most recent Planet of the Apes movies told the story of Caesar, and they valued the character’s journey more than it focused on the sci-fi aspect of the saga. The “planet of the apes” was born of Caesar’s mission to create a better world for the apes while also trying to avoid confrontation with humans, which did not always work. Still, Caesar was the first enhanced ape and responsible for creating this new society, whereas Noa is now just a member of it. The previous and current Planet of the Apes leads couldn’t be more different in that regard.
Proximus Caesar Has Taken Caesar’s Name & Title – And That’s Smart
Although Noa is apparently not related to Caesar and holds no special position within the apes’ society, he is expected to be the noble and heroic character of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. For example, in the latest trailer, Noa says that hunting humans is wrong and helps protect Mae from Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), the saga’s next villain. The previous three Planet of the Apes films focused on human villains, although Koba was the main antagonist in Dawn. Having Kingdom’s main villain use Caesar’s name is a great decision, both in-universe and from a meta-perspective.
The new Planet of the Apes movie would never be able to replace Caesar, whose story was at the center of three fantastical movies that were all about him. By giving Caesar’s name to a self-proclaimed king who wants to hunt humans and be a conqueror, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is highlighting how no one can replace Caesar. Set 300 years after War for thePlanet of the Apes, Kingdom can explore Caesar’s legacy in multiple ways, including by showing how figures like Proximus Caesar may have tried to pervert his teachings.
Caesar’s Replacements Are Much Smarter Than The Alternative For Planet Of The Apes 4
One of the most common Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes theories, one that was only debunked once the movie’s characters were named officially, was that Cornelius was going to be the new lead. As the son of Caesar and one of the characters featured in the original Planet of the Apes saga, Cornelius did seem like an obvious choice to lead a new trilogy. However, setting the War for thePlanet of the Apes sequel 300 years later and only revisiting Caesar through the legacy he built is a much more interesting choice.
Planet Of The Apes Reboot Timeline | |
|---|---|
Movie | When It Is Set |
Rise of the Planet of the Apes | “Near future” |
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | 10 years after Rise |
War for the Planet of the Apes | 2 years after Dawn |
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | 300 years after War |
Had Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes been about Cornelius, the saga could have encountered a “Star Wars problem” where every main character is somehow directly connected to the Skywalkers. Rise of the Planet of the Apes did not rely on the previous movies and instead built a new chapter in the franchise’s history, which is what the next film should try to achieve. Noa can be the hero of a new trilogy, serving as a worthy successor to Caesar. Likewise, Proximus Caesar can make for a great villain whose actions go against everything Caesar believed in.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Release Date
- May 10, 2024
- Director
- Wes Ball
- Cast
- Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands
- Franchise(s)
- Planet of the Apes
