The Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy is continuing with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and the fourth film is flipping one huge original Caesar element. Caesar is the main character of Matt Reeves' revival of the sci-fi classic, with him starring in all three of the Planet of the Apes reboot movies. However, one story detail regarding Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes proves that Caesar's original story is changing in a big way.
1968's Planet of the Apes was a huge hit when it was first released, spawning a massive franchise with tons of sequels. While Tim Burton's 2001 reboot was a critical failure, 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a huge success, spawning a critically acclaimed and financially successful trilogy. The reboot timeline explores the Planet of the Apes' origins, telling the story of how the Simian Flu caused a species of rapidly evolving apes to overthrow the world. Although Caesar's death in War for the Planet of the Apes ended his story, Planet of the Apes 4 proves that the series isn't done making changes.
Cornelius Was Caesar's Father In The Original Series
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes introduced Caesar's son, Cornelius, with War for the Planet of the Apes further exploring the young ape's early years. Although Caesar is dead, the story of Cornelius will continue on, with an older version of Caesar's son being the only character confirmed for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It seems as if Cornelius is replacing Caesar in the upcoming sequel, which is pretty significant. In the original Planet of the Apes series, things are different, with Caesar being the son of Cornelius.
Cornelius was one of the main characters in the first three Planet of the Apes movies, with his son Caesar being born in the third film, Escape from the Planet of the Apes. Although the original Caesar isn't nearly as popular as Andy Serkis' character from the reboot trilogy, it is interesting to note that they were flipped around. Having Caesar be the father is a big change for the reboot trilogy, with Cornelius acting as a successor to Caesar rather than the other way around.
The Cornelius Switch Helps Kingdom Work As An Actual Remake
Switching Caesar and Cornelius may actually be a good thing, as it helps Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes feel more like an actual remake of the original Planet of the Apes. Although the story of the reboot trilogy was mostly disconnected from the original film, it seems as if Planet of the Apes 4 will be an actual remake. The feral humans, large ape clans and kingdoms, and the introduction of Nova hint that the film may be gearing up to retell the story of the 1968 movie.
Having Cornelius be the main character of the film rather than Caesar further cements this idea. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will literally have one of the same main characters as the original, proving that it is finally telling the 1968 story. While the reboot trilogy acted as a prequel, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will finally be a proper remake, and the Cornelius and Caesar switch will make it work so much better.