The new entry to the ‘Planet of the Apes’ saga has found its lead actor

Just five years after the last Planet of the Apes trilogy ended, a new one is in production and has just found its new leading man in Owen Teague.

Andy Serkis delivered a seminal and ground-breaking performance in the last trilogy as the primate lead Caeser, and Black Mirror alum Teague is now tapped to take up the ping-pong ball suit on set as the next ape lead. The new film, titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is to be helmed by Maze Runner trilogy director Wes Ball.

According to a report from Deadline, studio executives were stunned by both Ball’s direction for the new film, as well as by Teague’s auditions. While none of the human cast have been confirmed yet, considering how well-received and important Serkis was to the last trilogy, getting his “replacement” would have been paramount.

The rights to Planet of the Apes were shifted to Disney after their acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and clearly the Mouse House is keen to keep the franchise in people’s minds. It makes it one of the longest-running franchises in cinema history, with the 1968 film one of the most important science fiction films of its era.

The new film is confirmed to take place after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, with it set to follow “Caesar’s legacy” and likely be a soft remake of the 1968 original film. Whether or not they’ll try to get someone to do the Charlton Heston shout-acting, though, remains to be seen.

There’s no release date as of yet for Kingdom, but with casting beginning, it could see the light of day by 2024.