The president of 20th Century Studios has given a major update on the planned filming for the upcoming Planet of the Apes 4. The Planet of the Apes franchise began over 50 years ago with the 1968 project (based on Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel of the same name), starring Charlton Heston as part of a crew of astronauts who crash land on a planet populated by sentient apes, only to realize that they have landed on Earth in the distant future. That film spawned four theatrical sequels that ran through 1973 and a Tim Burton remake in 2001.
The franchise remained dormant for another decade until 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a rebooted prequel starring James Franco and Freida Pinto. That film, which also featured Andy Serkis as the lead ape Caesar, followed humanity's experiments on apes going wrong and starting the chain of events that would lead to the planet being ruled by apes. That film was followed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 and War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017, both of which were helmed by The Batman director Matt Reeves.
While speaking with THR, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell shared information on a number of upcoming projects, including Planet of the Apes 4. Even though the film hasn't been heard from in quite a while, Asbell says that "we are expecting a draft very shortly." They "hope to go by the late summer, early fall" and "it’s Wes Ball attached to direct."
Although this would mark Wes Ball's first time being involved with the Apes franchise, the director is well-suited for the project in that he has an extensive background in special effects. He has previously been on the effects teams for films including Beginners and #Stuck. He made his feature directorial debut with the YA adaptation The Maze Runner and its sequels The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure.
Considering that the Apes reboot franchise has had an extended gap between films at this point, it is currently unknown what characters might be returning or what time period the film will be set in. Regardless, Planet of the Apes 4 would represent a major step up in the career of Wes Ball, who is set to produce and write the film, as well as direct. If he and the film are successful, he might just be able to kick off a second trilogy in the new Apes continuity, as he's got a proven track record of sticking around for franchises he originates.
Source: THR