Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball reveals that Caesar actor Andy Serkis could still return in future franchise installments. Following the conclusion of Caesar’s three-movie arc with the emotional War for the Planet of the Apes ending, the next movie is set to tell a new story, 300 years later. Ball’s sequel follows a new ape named Noa (Owen Teague) as he embarks on an epic adventure, but Serkis, who is a go-to figure in the world of Hollywood motion capture performances, does not return to play a new role.
In a recent interview with Empire Magazine (via SlashFilm) ahead of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes release date, Ball reveals that there was talk of bringing Serkis back for the latest installment. While it was ultimately deemed best that the actor not return this time around, the director teases that audiences may not have seen the last of Serkis in the franchise. Check out Ball’s full comment below:
“We talked about it, for sure. Like, ‘Could you play another ape character?’ I entertained that thought for a long time, because I thought it would be f***ing cool. And Matt [Reeves] would always say, ‘Andy is the best actor I’ve ever worked with.’
“He’s just too iconic, in a way. So we decided it’s probably best to think about future movies where maybe he can come in.”
Wes Ball Is Right About Andy Serkis In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Although Serkis was previously a somewhat “invisible” performer behind iconic characters like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Baloo in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and King Kong in Peter Jackson’s film of the same name, he has since (rightfully) become more well known and appreciated for his contributions to the world of motion capture. He would go on to appear as Snoke in the Star Wars universe, and played Caesar across a trilogy of films, in addition to a variety of live-action roles.
All of that is to say that Serkis now being such a known quantity would make it more challenging for him to play a new role as part of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast, even if he were only to appear via motion capture. His voice alone, which is distinctive, would immediately be reminiscent of Caesar, and it could take viewers out of the story.
That being said, Serkis has a proven ability to convey a great deal of emotion and characterization using only his body language. If he is to return in future Planet of the Apes movies, he could seamlessly play a new character and communicate using only sign language, something that the franchise has included before. It remains to be seen how Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will fare without a powerful lead performance from Serkis, but the film is shaping up to be an interesting extension of the world of the franchise.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Set several years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next installment in the Apes saga. Ape clans have taken up residence in the oasis that Caesar sought to colonize, but humans have reverted to their animalistic nature in their absence. Now battling between enslavement and freedom, outliers in the Ape clans will take sides in a newly burgeoning society.
- Release Date
- May 24, 2024
- Director
- Wes Ball
- Cast
- Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands
- Rating
- r
- Genres
- Action , Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Patrick Aison , Josh Friedman , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver
- Studio(s)
- 20th Century , Chernin Entertainment , Oddball Entertainment , Shinbone Productions
- Distributor(s)
- 20th Century
- 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
- 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
