Wes Ball’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” was originally expected to launch a new trilogy at 20th Century Studios, with studio boss Steve Asbell even telling THR a sequel was slated for 2027. However, plans appear to have shifted, as the franchise may be heading for another reboot.
According to Deadline, Matt Shakman (“Fantastic Four: First Steps”) is set to direct a new Planet of the Apes film that will not continue “Kingdom,” with Josh Friedman (“Avatar: The Way of Water”) writing the screenplay.
The project is described as a fresh, original story set in the familiar world where apes dominate, rather than a direct sequel to “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
The long-running franchise remains one of the studio’s most valuable properties, having generated over $1.7 billion globally across decades of films and TV adaptations.
This shift is surprising, given that ‘Kingdom’ was generally well received and earned around $400 million worldwide, and the studio had seemingly been moving forward with a follow-up. Matt Reeves previously delivered a strong conclusion to his trilogy with 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes,” often considered its high point, and while more entries weren’t strictly necessary, Ball’s film did set up new story possibilities.
Now, those plans may have been set aside.
Across its history, the franchise has gone through multiple iterations: the original run from the 1960s and ’70s, which actually produced four sequels; the misbegotten 2001 reimagining directed by Tim Burton; and the modern reboot that began with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and continued through Reeves’ trilogy.
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” extended that timeline with a new generation of characters long after Caesar, while Shakman’s film appears poised to become the fourth distinct iteration of the ‘Apes’ saga.