Production on the next chapter in the Planet of the Apes franchise has officially begun. Titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the movie began filming in Sydney, New South Wales, at the iconic Fox Studios Australia, which was recently renamed Disney Studios Australia, entertainment news website Variety reported.
Maze Runner director Wes Ball is directing the film, which begins an entirely new chapter in the franchise, picking up many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes.
The film will feature an ensemble cast of Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Eka Darville, and Kevin Durand. The screenplay is by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and Patrick Aison. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be produced by Joe Hartwick Jr, Jaffa, Silver and Jason Reed with Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping serving as executive producers.
Planet of the Apes is one of the first major Fox franchises to be reshaped following the Disney deal. The franchise is based on the 1963 novel by Pierre Boulle. The first Planet of the Apes movie was released in 1968, followed by a series of sequels and a TV show.
In 2001, Tim Burton directed a new version, starring Mark Wahlberg. A new prequel trilogy began in 2011 with Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, followed by 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, which was released in 2017.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released in 2024.
