Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the newest entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise, is officially happening at Disney – and the first story indications are already a huge relief. After the widely praised, seemly self-contained Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy, it wasn’t clear how exactly the franchise would continue, especially considering that Disney had bought 20th Century Fox right when talks for a new Planet of the Apes movie were starting. More than five years after War for the Planet of the Apes, the announcement of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes eases any concerns regarding the future of the saga, as it will be a true sequel to the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy.
Following the release of Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes remake, any attempt at bringing back the Planet of the Apes franchise has been risky. An argument could be made that no Planet of the Apes movie had been as good nor as impactful as the original, a perception to which Burton’s Planet of the Apes contributed. Still, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) bet on an origin story that would ditch the sci-fi, time travel side of the franchise to tell a more “realistic,” human story with Andy Serkis’ Caesar as the protagonist.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes were rare examples of movies that combine blockbuster-level of action with deep character study. The reception of the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy set a new high for blockbuster sci-fi films, but it also created a challenge as to where to take the saga next. War for the Planet of the Apes wrapped up Caesa's story in a most satisfying way, which means the next Planet of the Apes movie risked not being a true sequel but instead yet another remake or reboot. Fortunately, it is now confirmed that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be a sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes. The first official synopsis for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes says that it picks up “many years after War for the Planet of the Apes,” meaning that Kingdom will revisit that world from Rise, Dawn, and War now years after Caesar’s death.
Rebooting The Planet Of The Apes Series Again Would’ve Been A Mistake
Masterfully rebooting the Planet of the Apes franchise the way Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its sequels did was not an easy task, as proved by how poorly received Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes was. While the pop culture impact of the original Planet of the Apes film from 1968 might not ever be matched, the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy surpassed the original films in terms of quality in a way that is rare for reboots. Trying to replicate that with yet another reboot or remake less than 10 years after War for the Planet of the Apes would have been a mistake, as the Caesar trilogy was just too good not to receive a continuation.
Making Planet of the Apes 4 a direct sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes while setting its timeline long after Caesar’s story was the best possible choice for the movie. This allows Planet of the Apes 4 to continue the world from the previous three films but now with new characters. Though another reboot could have been the easiest solution for a new Planet of the Apes movie, what Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is doing is far more interesting.