Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will take place many years after the events of War For the Planet of the Apes, which is the best decision for the franchise after the success of the reboot trilogy. After much speculation, director Wes Ball revealed exactly where Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes fits in the franchise timeline. While many believed that the movie would take place just a handful of years after Caesar’s death, it turns out the movie is set a full 300 years after War For the Planet of the Apes.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has moved its release date hoping to avoid some of 2024’s stiffest box office competition, but its greatest key to success has to do with its temporal setting. The incredible success of the reboot trilogy that ended with the franchise’s best film in War For the Planet of the Apes likely made the prospect of a direct sequel appealing. However, the pivot to picking up the narrative centuries after the events of the war between apes and humans is the best way to invigorate the franchise.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Release Date, Cast, Story Details & Everything We Know
The Planet of the Apes reboot franchise is getting a fourth film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, courtesy of its new owner, Disney.
War For The Planet Of The Apes’ Ending Didn’t Need A Proper Sequel
It was the perfect full-circle ending to Caesar’s narrative.
A direct sequel to War For the Planet of the Apes was always going to be superfluous given its overall quality. War For the Planet of the Apes boasts the highest Rotten Tomatoes score of any movie in the franchise with a 94% from critics, most of whom praised its incredible special effects and powerful narrative. It would be nearly impossible for a direct sequel to be anything but a step backwards, given the strength of the final film in the reboot trilogy.
War For the Planet of the Apes was the perfect conclusion to the narrative surrounding Caesar and the steps he took that led to apes becoming the dominant species on the planet. It ended with Caesar’s death, but only after he provided his family with safety and freedom. The beautiful finality that came with his death and the apes’ flight to freedom is rare in cinema, and making Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes a direct sequel would have destroyed that element.
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Timeline Will Avoid Hurting The Reboot Trilogy
The strength of the reboot trilogy can’t be retroactively weakened by a continuation.
The perfect ending of War For the Planet of the Apes was the culmination of a critically-acclaimed trilogy. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War For the Planet of the Apes are the three strongest entries in the franchise aside from Franklin J. Schaffner’s visionary 1968 original, and represent three cohesive parts of a single saga. A direct sequel to that story could really only retroactively weaken that remarkably strong and utterly complete story.
By setting Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes 300 years in the future, the movie will likely not continue the story of any character from the reboot trilogy. It will truly be a different world from the one that audiences saw during the reboot trilogy, which is necessary to move the franchise forward. Caesar’s continuing legacy and influence on apekind will certainly be present in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but the new movie will not be able to upset the perfect balance struck by the reboot trilogy.
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Timeline Makes Its Own Story Easier
A drastic time jump gives the new movie more freedom in its narrative.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes taking place centuries after Caesar’s death allows it to progress free of any constraints of the movies that preceded it. With 300 years separating the events of Kingdom and War, the circumstances of the world will have changed so significantly that none of the rules set by the reboot trilogy will apply. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be free to create its own path without having to adhere to any plot points laid out by the reboot trilogy, which can only lead to a stronger overall story.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Release Date:
- 2024-05-10
- Director:
- Wes Ball
- Cast:
- Kevin Durand, Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Owen Teague, Eka Darville, Sara Wiseman, Neil Sandilands
- Writers:
- Patrick Aison, Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
- Rating:
- r
- Genres:
- Action, Sci-Fi
- Studio(s):
- 20th Century, Chernin Entertainment, Oddball Entertainment, Shinbone Productions
- Distributor(s):
- 20th Century
- prequel(s):
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes, dawn of the Planet of the apes movie, War for the Planet of the Apes
- Franchise(s):
- Planet of the Apes
- Sequel(s):
- Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Battle for the Planet of the Apes
