War For The Planet of the Apes was a considerable success that released only three years ago, but apparently, 20th Century Studios believes it’s time for the popular franchise to get another makeover. According to a report from Discussing Film, director Wes Ball’s take on the popular series will serve as a reboot rather than a continuation of the latest trilogy, meaning there will be no connection to the previous iterations.
Usually, when a franchise is reinvented, it’s because of poor reception or a dismal showing at the box office, two things War for the Planet of the Apes did not have issues with. Even though the director of that film and its predecessor has moved on to The Batman and Andy Serkis is off directing Venom 2, one would still assume that 20th Century Studios would like to keep the story of Cesar going. I mean, if it’s not broken, why attempt to fix it, right?
Then again, the future was always uncertain for Planet of the Apes after the Fox and Disney merger, but Mouse House CEO Bob Iger assured fans that the franchise would be a top priority for the studio. Eventually, The Maze Runner director became attached to the project, with many still unsure if it would be a sequel, spinoff or something new altogether. One thing that we did know, however, was how passionate Wes Ball was about the source material, explaining how the film will be special for him and saying the following:
“I’ll say this about Apes… I grew up on the original and absolutely love the previous trilogy. I would only do this if I felt I could offer something special while still honoring what’s come before. We have something that’s shaping up to be an awesome chapter to this franchise.”
It sounds like the franchise’s latest remix will be in good hands moving forward with Ball at the helm of its beginning. Some may be skeptical about a new Planet of the Apes so soon after the last one wrapped everything up so nicely and that’s certainly understandable. But given the fact that the former director and star have moved on to other projects, it may be best to cut ties with the old and embrace the new.
In any case, Disney has done quite well with the majority of its franchises and it’ll be interesting to see what a Planet of the Apes film looks like under their ownership.
