Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the newest entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise, has officially wrapped filming. In celebration of this feat, director Wes Ball posted a video of crew members cheering uproariously.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth entry in the rebooted franchise, which kicked off in 2011. Production on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes began last year. The series follows the rise of an ape-led society after a virus ravaged the Earth and made humans into little more than animals. Apes were genetically and mentally enhanced by the virus, becoming the new dominant species on the planet.
In a new post to his Twitter, Ball confirmed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes filming had officially wrapped. "That’s a wrap!" Ball wrote. He affixed a video of the crew celebrating their accomplishment that featured a look at some of the film's apes, albeit in unfinished form. As the cast cheers, the crudely rendered chimpanzees also cheer and beat their chests.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to be an ensemble film. Various actors have been cast in unknown roles, including Eka Darville and Kevin Durand. Owen Teague is currently set to play Cornelius, the son of Caesar (Andy Serkis). Set years after the last movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will see a despotic ape attempt to enslave other clans using human technology. Meanwhile, another ape "embarks on a journey to find freedom."
This new Planet of the Apes film has some potential to be unique in the franchise. It's currently unknown whether or not any human characters are involved in the story. The official synopsis seems to mention that humans have entered a feral, animalistic stage, but it is possible a few human characters could be important to the narrative. If there aren't any, that would be a first in the franchise, as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes would be the only one to center entirely on the apes' conflict with one another rather than interspecies warfare.
A first look at Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has already revealed that the movie will expand on the post-apocalyptic scenery. Nature appears to be reclaiming human cities, though the apes appear to be aware that there are treasures left behind in them. However, their burgeoning society cannot reclaim what humans left behind: it looks like ape society has yet not risen fully, and the struggle for power in this film may impact the entire future of apekind.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 24, 2024.
Source: Wes Ball/Twitter