Filming is underway on Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the continuation from the recent trilogy that concluded with 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. THR not only has more plot details about the state of the world following the messianic leadership of Caesar (Andy Serkis), but they also confirm Jurassic World: Dominion actress Dichen Lachman has joined the cast.
Lachman joins an ensemble that includes Owen Teague, who is believed to be playing Caesar’s son Cornelius; plus The Witcher‘s Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Eka Darville, Kevin Durand, Travis Jeffery, Neil Sandilands, Sara Wiseman, Lydia Peckham, Ras-Samuel Weld A’abzgi, and William H. Macy.
According to the report, the story will take place several years after War for the Planet of the Apes, when “Many apes societies have grown from when the Moses-like Caesar brought his people to an oasis, while humans have been reduced to a feral-like existence. Some groups have never heard of Caesar, while others have contorted his teaching to build burgeoning empires.”
“In this setting, one ape leader begins to enslave other groups to find human technology, while another ape, who watched his clan be taken, embarks on a journey to find freedom. A young human woman becomes key to latter’s quest, although she has plans of her own.”
Ball has very big shoes to fill. The last three films were all excellent, but the final two helmed by Matt Reeves are incredible, and the work done by Serkis so good he probably deserved an Oscar for it.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens on May 24th 2024.
