Planet Of The Apes’ New Trilogy Plan Sets Up An Actor Recast That Will Be Hard To Get Right

Since Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes promises to start a new trilogy in the sci-fi series, the franchise installment will likely require recasting a familiar character with a new actor. The Planet of the Apes series has a somewhat knotty chronology, but the story of the most recent trilogy is relatively easy to follow. 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes explained how the super-intelligent ape Caesar gained his brains, while 2014’s sequel Dawn of the Planet of the Apes saw a pandemic wipe out much of humanity and clear the way for an ape takeover. In 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, the apes claimed victory and effectively took over Earth by wiping out a human militia attempting to eradicate them.

Now, 2024’s upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will pick up after three centuries after these events, with ape society split into warring factions. The sequel will follow a new ape protagonist, Noa, who teams up with a feral human named Mae on an adventure that will impact both ape-kind and humankind’s futures. Mae’s feral status, the result of simian flu, indicates that the reboot series has reached the point in the franchise’s timeline when the original 1968 Planet of the Apes took place. As such, a major character may return.

Planet Of The Apes’ New Trilogy Could Mean Bringing George Taylor Back

Charlton Heston’s Planet of the Apes protagonist George Taylor might come back in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. However, Taylor’s recasting would be difficult since Heston’s character is a sci-fi icon, and few actors could replicate the original star’s unique screen presence. Taylor’s comeback has been set up by the series, with one Rise of the Planet of the Apes scene referencing his doomed space mission on a stranded spaceship. Eventually, the franchise had to catch up to the original 1968 movie’s story, and the 300-year time jump between the trilogy and this sequel may have closed that gap.

While Taylor’s return would be perfectly timed in terms of the Planet of the Apes franchise’s chronological story, it would be tough to pull off when it comes to casting. Heston played George Taylor in only two of the original five Planet of the Apes movies, but his performance provided the franchise with some of its most famous moments. However, his recast replacement wouldn’t be the protagonist or even the deuteragonist of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, since Owen Teague’s ape character Noa and Freya Allan’s human character Mae fill these roles.

Planet Of The Apes Redoing George Taylor’s Story Requires A Difficult Recast

It would be tough for the sequel to recast the franchise’s most iconic human character when viewers already know Taylor won’t be the main character of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. If Heston’s replacement is a high-profile star, their presence could prove a distraction. If they are someone less famous and they have less screen time than Noa and Mae, their role could feel like a glorified cameo. As such, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes would need to find a new Taylor who doesn’t distract from its existing heroes, which is a tricky balance to pull off.