Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Announced, Casts Freya Allan, to Release in 2024

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the official title for the upcoming sequel from 20th Century Studios. The Disney-owned company revealed a teaser art for its fourth entry in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, which is slated for a 2024 release window. Wes Ball — best known for the Maze Runner films — is attached to direct, from a script by a group of four. Furthermore, the studio announced the leading cast for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, namely Owen Teague (It), Peter Macon (Family Guy), and Freya Allan, known for playing Ciri in Netflix's The Witcher series.

Plot details are scarce, with the only information being that the sequel is set years after the events of 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes, directed by Matt Reeves. Shortly before its release, however, The Batman filmmaker reportedly expressed interest in making more Apes films, with Steve Zahn's (The White Lotus) Bad Ape, setting up a potential story for the future. With Reeves engaged on the DC Comics film, plans changed in late 2019, putting Ball at the helm of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

“‘Planet of the Apes' is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio's legacy,” Steve Asbell, President 20th Century Studios, said in a prepared statement to Deadline. “With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we are privileged to continue the series' tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can't wait to share Wes' extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”

Josh Friedman (Terminator: Dark Fate), Rick Jaffa (Mulan), Amanda Silver (Jurassic World), and Patrick Aison (Prey) have collaborated on the script for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Based on the 1963 novel by Pierre Boulle, the Planet of the Apes film and TV franchise centres around the conflict between humans and intelligent apes, as they clash for control. The movies were eventually rebooted in 2011, with Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was well-received, and grossed $481.8 million (about Rs. 3,929 crore) globally. Reeves came on board to direct its follow-ups with 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes. The films drew $708.8 million (about Rs. 5,778 crore) and $490.7 million (about Rs. 4,000 crore), respectively, at the worldwide box office.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is slated to release sometime in 2024, in theatres.