Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will take place many years after War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), which makes the film and its potential sequels even more exciting. More than three years after Disney bought 20th Century Fox, the studio has finally revealed its plans for the Planet of the Apes franchise. The next Planet of the Apes movie will be an actual sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes rather than a new reboot or remake, which means the story the prequel story that began with Caesar will now advance years into the future.
After Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes (2001) failed in remaking the 1968 film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) decided to distance itself from the original films by telling a prequel story. While technically a reboot, Rise and its two sequels work as the origin story for the planet that Taylor encounters in the Planet of the Apes (1968). Still, the 2010s Planet of the Apes trilogy never went as far as addressing the astronauts or anything closer to the story of the original franchise – mainly because it was still years away from reaching that point of the story. That will now change with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and its potential sequels, as those will be set far into the future.
What Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Timeline Means For The Franchise
With Planet of the Apes 4 set many years after War as described in the first official synopsis, the franchise is close to catching up with the original movies’ timeline. Granted, the original Planet of the Apes timeline is not so easy to follow, but it is clear that Planet of the Apes (1968) takes place in a world where apes had been the dominant species for years. Considering that War for the Planet of the Apes ends with the last remaining human army being defeated, this time jump means that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes could be set in the same time period as the original Planet of the Apes movies.
Will Planet Of The Apes 4, 5, & 6 Remake The Original Films?
While Planet of the Apes 5 and 6 haven’t been confirmed, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will likely serve as the starting point for a new trilogy if it is successful. With a new Planet of the Apes trilogy set far into the future, it will be difficult for those films to avoid the events of the original Planet of the Apes movies. Rise, Dawn, and War avoided any major comparisons with the original movies because they worked as a prequel, but now Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will have to settle whether this new series is a remake or a reboot of the original franchise.
The most likely option is that Planet of the Apes 4, 5, and 6 will tell a new story set in that same time period while also reimagining events from the original films. Rise, Dawn, and War already told a different story for the beginning of the apocalypse compared to what was shown in the original movies, which solidifies this new saga as a reboot. In any case, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will have the difficult mission of continuing a widely praised trilogy while also reinventing a classic of the sci-fi genre. Still, the future of the Planet of the Apes series could not be more exciting.
