Movie fans don’t have much longer to wait until Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is released as highly anticipated standalone sequel to 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes hits theaters worldwide on May 10.
Andy Serkis’ Caesar, the much revered and respected king of the apes, was the main ape in the 2017 film that kicked off this simian revival . At the end of War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar succumbed to a crossbow arrow wound and died while fighting to protect his fellow primates.
However, Caesar left behind a young son, Cornelius, who was born in 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and appeared in its 2017 sequel. Maurice, a Bornean orangutan and Caesar’s most loyal confidant and closest friend promised that Cornelius would know who his father was. That’s left fans wondering if Cornelius would continue Caesar’s legacy in the new movie.
Will we see Cornelius in the upcoming film?
Unfortunately, Cornelius will not appear in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
The events of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will occur 300 years after the previous movie’s story, meaning Caesar’s son will be long dead.
That being said, in the absence of Caesar and Cornelius, their legacy will likely live on in the form of the movie’s main character. Owen Teague will play Noa, a young chimpanzee hunter who, it’s more than probable, is a descendant of the two characters.
The film’s villain, Kevin Durand’s Proximus Caesar, will pervert Caesar’s teachings, meaning Noa will have to do right by his ancestors and thwart his evil plans.
So, while Cornelius will almost certainly be mentioned, and viewers will surely learn more about the legacy he left behind during his life, he can’t appear, given the passing of three centuries since War for the Planet of the Apes.