William H. Macy has been added to the cast of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Based on the 1963 book by Pierre Boulle, the franchise is one of 20th Century Studios’ most successful, making almost $2 billion in the box office worldwide. The first film was released in 1968 and opened to commercial and critical acclaim. In 2011, a reboot starring James Franco, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was also a success and led to two sequels directed by The Batman’s Matt Reeves: 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. Both of these performed exceptionally well in the box office. Worldwide, the former made a whopping $710 million while the latter made $490 million.
Deadline reports that William H. Macy has joined the Planet of the Apes franchise's latest installment, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Details of his role are being kept under wraps. Macy is best known for his work in the Coen brothers’ Fargo and Showtime’s Shameless. He earned an Oscar nomination for the former and six Emmy nominations for the latter.
Everything We Know About Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
War for Planet of the Apes saw the end of Caesar’s (played by Andy Serkis) journey. Little is known about the plot for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but it will likely take place many years later and, based on the title alone, explore how Caesar's legacy turned out on an Earth primarily dominated by the apes. The sequel could see the ramifications of such an environment and how the apes decide to deal with the remaining humans.
Disappointing to some, Reeves will not be returning to direct Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, as he is now hard at work building his Batman universe at DC. Helming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is Wes Ball, who is best known for directing the Maze Runner movies. The script for the fourth movie in the Planet of the Apes reboot saga will be written by Patrick Aison, Josh Friedman, and Avatar: The Way of Water writers Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. Character details remain under wraps, but other cast members have been announced. In addition to Macy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will star Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, and The Witcher's Freya Allan.
With his talent, one might hope that Macy will be playing a human trying to survive in a world ruled by apes, although motion capture maestro Serkis’ performance as Caesar is one of the reboot’s strongest points. With new talent behind the camera and onscreen, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is shaping up to be an interesting new chapter in the franchise, and Disney is reportedly so compelled by the script that two sequels may follow this one. The future of the franchise will likely become clear after Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes debuts in 2024.
Source: Deadline
