‘The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Casts Freya Allan, Releases First Look Image
The new Planet of the Apes movie is moving forward at Disney/20th Century Studios, with Wes Ball directing. The studio has just announced that it will be titled The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and released a first-look image (see above).
Deadline reported earlier this summer that It‘s Owen Teague will be playing the lead ape in the movie. That piece of news has just been confirmed, and the studio is adding that The Witcher‘s Freya Allan is joining the cast (according to Deadline, as the human lead) alongside The Orville‘s Peter Macon. Production will begin next month aiming for a 2024 release. Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) are writing the screenplay, which will be a continuation of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, though it will be set many years later.
Steve Asbell, President of 20th Century Studios said in a statement:
“’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. 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.”
According to Deadline, the casting process for the human lead was a long one, before they eventually landed on Allan. The actress tested multiple times for the part, and finally got the role after her final audition in front of Ball himself, as the director was already scouting locations. The movie has been in development for years now, with the director working hands-on with the writers and visual effects team all throughout the scripting process. For now, it’s unknown who Macon is playing.
The title Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has been rumored for a while, but it wasn’t until today that the studio finally confirmed it. The image above, however, was just the cherry on top of the cake, to announce to the world that they know exactly what they are doing — the team is deep into pre-production now, with sets likely being built and costumes being designed. New technological developments are to be expected from the movie, and the use of the StageCraft soundstages should not be discarded right away.
The movie will probably grab a summer 2024 release date. More casting news could come in the next few weeks as filming nears.
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.
