A new Planet of the Apes movie is on the way from Maze Runner and Ruin director Wes Ball. At the time of its announcement, it wasn’t made clear if the film would be a continuation of the reboot series that begin in 2011, or a reboot of the entire franchise.
Ball has now himself confirmed on Twitter that “Caesar’s legacy will continue…” which seems to be a strong suggestion that this will be a follow-up to War for the Planet of the Apes instead of a reboot of the entire franchise. That being said, Ball’s brief statement does leave some wiggle room.
Ball’s comment came in response to a story that claimed the new movie would be a reboot that is not connected to the three films–Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes–that were made by 20th Century Fox.
The Planet of the Apes series is based on the novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle, and was first made into a popular movie in 1968 starring Charlton Heston. That film led to many sequels and extensions on the screen and TV. In 2001, Tim Burton rebooted the series again with Mark Wahlberg and Helena Bonham Carter in starring roles.
The announcement of the new Planet of the Apes is no surprise, as Disney CEO Robert Iger said the Planet of the Apes series was a priority for the company following Disney’s acquisition of Fox.
The newest reboot series of Planet of the Apes has grossed more than $1.6 billion at the global box office across three instalments. Veteran motion-capture actor Andy Serkis played Caesar in the new films, with a supporting cast that included James Franco, Gary Oldman, and Woody Harrelson over the three instalments.
War for the Planet of the Apes was directed by Matt Reeves, who is now writing and directing the new Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson.
