In 2024, the world will get to see how the world of the modern Planet of the Apes saga continues, with director Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. For the first time since the conclusion of his trilogy in the legacy of those sci-fi movies, actor Andy Serkis actually gets to approach these films as a fan, rather than a participant. And judging by what he’s seen so far, Serkis is convinced that the film is “gonna blow people’s minds.”
This much was clear as I was wrapping my conversation with Andy, on behalf of the Netflix press day for latest film, Luther: The Fallen Sun. Before parting ways, it felt like the right time to ask the man who helped give life to Caesar in the films starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes for his take on the next chapter. With that query on the table, this is what Andy Serkis shared with CinemaBlend:
I think Wes Ball is going to do an amazing job with this film. I think it’s, from what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, there’s some amazing conceptual artwork. And where they’ve chosen to land the story and take off with the next iteration, I think it’s gonna blow people’s minds.
It’s certainly been a slow burn when it comes to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ journey to production, as the project was first announced by Fox back in 2019. Recently, the project was kickstarted thanks to last September’s reveal of the title and concept art for this fourth Apes installment were made public. True to Mr. Serkis’ word, the look of this vague but promising piece of art was pretty amazing.
The trail of breadcrumbs has only continued to prove Andy Serkis in the right, as early comments on how Caesar’s legacy would be addressed gave way to some key story details for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. As it turns out, the legacy that the heroic ape left behind after the bittersweet ending of War of the Planet of the Apes has now become a double edged sword, inspiring promise as well as peril.
Based on what we know about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we’re a little over a year out from seeing where the future of Apekind has taken things in the centuries since Caesar’s passing. Knowing that the story from those previous three movies was continuing under Wes Ball’s watch was exciting enough to keep myself and some fans invested, especially after seeing the beautiful work that went into Ball’s canceled Mouse Guard adaptation.
As Andy Serkis is now feeding the flames of anticipation with some choice remarks, it’s become even harder to endure the wait for next summer’s would-be blockbuster. But to borrow a key phrase from his Apes trilogy, fans together strong. Next May will be here soon enough, and we’ll all get to take part in those next steps for Apekind together.
We’ve still got some time until Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters, as it’s currently slated for a May 24, 2024 release. In the meantime, I highly recommend catching Andy Serkis in Luther: The Fallen Sun, as his character David Robey is a rather frightening foe for Idris Elba’s John Luther. If you’ve got an active Netflix subscription, then you’re already ready to dive in as a deep fried fan, or a novice who wants to see what the buzz is all about.
