Next ‘Planet of the Apes’ Installment Moving Forward, Taps Owen Teague as Lead
Despite the conclusion of last decade’s Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy in 2017, executives at 20th Century Studios are moving forward with a new installment in the franchise.
Maze Runner‘s Wes Ball was hired to write and direct a new movie back in December 2019, and though it’s been mostly radio silent since then, it looks like there’s been a lot of movement behind closed doors. Ball delivered a script over the summer that excited executives after working on it for over two years and collaborating with VFX teams to see what could and couldn’t be done. Now, according to Deadline, the studio is aiming to start production before the end of 2022, and they are moving full steam ahead. The casting process has begun, with Owen Teague cast as the lead ape.
Deadline points out that 20th Century Studios began meeting with and testing talent even before the Fourth of July holiday, and decided upon Teague for the lead primate after the actor wowed everyone in the room. The lead human part has not been cast yet.
Stephen King fans might remember Teague as one of the bullies that terrorized the Losers Club in 2017’s It or one of the cast members of Paramount Plus’ The Stand. Wes Ball, on his end, directed all three installments in the Maze Runner trilogy, which wrapped in 2018. They are the only three feature films he’s directed in his career, though he must clearly have a vision for this new Planet of the Apes movie, so much so that 20th Century Studios trusted him with carrying the legacy of the critically acclaimed recent trilogy. We must also keep in mind that, before directing Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Rupert Wyatt had only directed two feature films. Moreover, even though he made a name for himself with his two magnificent installments, Matt Reeves had also only directed three feature films before helming Dawn (though he was also a prolific television director at that point).
With production set to begin before the end of the year, we could be looking at a late summer/fall 2024 release date for this movie. More casting news could come out within the next few weeks as pre-production ramps up.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
