Anna Daniels
There’s a new Planet of the Apes movie in the works, but if you’ve read reports stating it’s another remake/reboot, you’ve been misinformed. Maze Runner director Wes Ball has been tasked with tackling the franchise next, and he was also nice enough to jump on Twitter and confirm that whatever he’s making, it’s not a reboot. Ball was tight-lipped as to what the movie might be about, but he swears that the legacy of the previous trilogy will remain intact.
Late last year, word broke that a new Planet of the Apes film was in the works at the studio formerly known as Fox (it’s now 20th Century Studios, and also Disney, because Disney owns everything). Details were slim, but it was revealed that Wes Ball was developing the film to direct. Beyond that, the initial report simply stated that it was “unclear whether the new Apes project is meant to be a new reboot or an extension of the previous film series.”
Last week, an unconfirmed rumor started going around claiming that Ball’s new Apes movie was going to be a reboot. But that’s not true – at least according to Ball himself:
It’s never been easier for film journalists to actually get in touch with the actual people who actually know… but maybe it’s the point to NOT fact-check these days?
Regardless. Don’t worry. I won’t ruin the surprises, but it’s safe to say Caesar’s legacy will continue…?
— Wes Ball (@wesball) February 17, 2020
Caesar is, of course, the main ape protagonist in the recent Apes franchise, played via motion capture by Andy Serkis. It’s worth pointing out that the Serkis trilogy was a reboot itself, while also serving as a kind of prequel for the original film series that launched in 1968, spawning four sequels: Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). There was also a TV series and an animated series.
Tim Burton attempted to reboot the story in 2001. Then the series got another reboot in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the first of the Serkis films. That was directed by Rupert Wyatt, while the next two films in the trilogy – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes – were directed by Matt Reeves. War brought Caesar’s arc to a close and put the new trilogy to bed. But now…here we go again.
If Ball is being honest and this isn’t a reboot, he still has plenty of paths to take. The previous trilogy was set at the beginning of the downfall of humanity, which means Ball could take things further and jump far into the future, where apes reign supreme.
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