With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Studios is taking us into the far future of their bizarre-yet-entertaining ape-dominated world. But how far, and where is the new movie set in the timeline?
Loosely based on a novel by Pierre Boulle, 1968’s Planet of the Apes follows a group of space explorers stranded on a planet where monkeys rule and humans are voiceless savages. The shocking ending reveals the planet was Earth all along, and that the explorers had traveled through time instead of space. The image of the Statue of Liberty destroyed is one of the most classic moments in cinema history, responsible for turning Planet of the Apes into a successful franchise, counting five movies, one live-action series, and one animated TV show.
In 2001, 20th Century Fox tried to modernize the franchise for a new generation with a remake. Tim Burton’s take on the apes was a flop, burying the franchise for a few more years. One decade later, the studio finally figured out how to tell new stories in the Planet of the Apes universe by rebooting the franchise with a trilogy of prequels. Instead of taking humans to the future, the trilogy follows a chimpanzee named Caesar (Andy Serkis) as he gains human-like intelligence and slowly builds a primate kingdom.
The reboot of Planet of the Apes is the rare trilogy in which every movie is amazing, which means we are, of course, extremely excited about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. So here’s how it fits in.
‘Kingdom Of The Planets Of The Apes’ is a standalone sequel to Caeser’s trilogy
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a standalone sequel to the reboot trilogy. That means the upcoming movie is set in the same universe and shares the same continuity. Even so, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes tells its own story, without any of the original characters.
Set 300 years after the end of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes shows how the primates have taken over the globe and climbed to the top of the food chain. In this new world, humans have devolved into a primal state and are forced to hide from monkey hunters. While the primate technology of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is not as advanced as shown in the 1968 movie, it’s easy to see how much the apes have evolved since Caesar’s trilogy.
While Caesar was an honorable leader, the current ruler, Proximus Caesar, has forgotten the teachings of the apes’ forefathers. Proximus Caesar’s ruthless ruling and cruelty towards humans sets the new movie into motion, with a band of renegades uniting to challenge the tyrant. It’s the perfect setting for a sequel and the reboot trilogy untouched while exploring new stories.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes comes to theaters on May 10, 2024.
