Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes drops first teaser

The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes teaser was released on November 3, 2023, and reveals a great deal about the history of primates on Earth. The fourth film in the relaunched Planet of the Apes series, which started with Matt Reeves' Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and went on to include Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), is directed by Wes Ball.

The teaser reveals what the franchise will look like in a post-Caesar era. Cornelius, the son of the previous ape leader, will embark on a fresh adventure throughout post-apocalyptic Earth in the upcoming sequel. The film is slated to release across theatres on May 24, 2024.

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - What we know from the first trailer

The ape leader Caesar, who was portrayed in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trilogy by Andy Serkis, has passed away in the upcoming film. Caesar had guided his people to a tranquil oasis. It is now up to the new apes to continue where their father left off, like Caesar's son Noa (played by season newcomer Owen Teague).

A complex class structure, with orangutans at the top, chimps in the middle, and gorillas at the bottom, characterizes the ape society depicted in Planet of the Apes. The trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes depicts a sophisticated ape society with communication and social stratification based on simian taxonomy.

While Caesar was the most advanced ape in the Reeves reboot trilogy, from the looks of the trailer there are now two separate ape clans that communicate, plus a wide variety of orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees.

Now that apes have domesticated their own animals and developed a whole social framework, they are seen riding horses and waving at birds with their arms. As this is going on, humans have devolved into barbaric creatures that apes either kill for fun or feed on out of sympathy from the vicinity of their campfire.

However, a special little human girl is seen taken care of by an ape who carries her on his back while climbing a treacherous mountain.

However, the traditional faults of human civilization can still befall the apes. We witness them digging up former military and scientific facilities, which, despite being deserted and overgrown with vegetation, may nevertheless pose a serious threat. A warlord-like figure emerging from one of them is also seen in the trailer leading an assembly of gorillas and shouting "What a wonderful world".

From the looks of the trailer, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes seems to be an exciting new film that follows the events of Caesar's leadership and draws influence from the original. A plot that feels both familiar and unique to the new timeframe is established by the renewed emphasis on Cornelius. It's unclear what future developments the sequel will initiate and how much it will borrow from the first.

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More about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The cast for the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes includes notable names such as Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Kevin Durand, and Eka Darville among others. The film is being directed by Wes Ball and produced by him along with Joe Hartwick Jr., Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Jason Reed.

The upcoming film is reportedly the first in a trilogy planned by Disney and 20th Century Studios. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is scheduled to be released across theatres in the United States on May 24, 2024.