The timeline of the Planet Of The Apes franchise isn’t what you’d call simple. Under the Planet of the Apes is a direct sequel to the original Planet of the Apes, but ends with a literal explosion of Earth and then Escape From The. Planet Of The Apes shows that two characters were able to go back in time before the explosion, which then sets up the events that are held in The Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and The Battle for the Battle of the Apes. Meanwhile, the films starring Andy Serkis, also known as the Caesar trilogy, are semi-remakes of those intermediate chapters, but they can also be interpreted as prequels to the original.
If you’re a fan of this franchise, part of your laugh is unraveling continuity; however, for Wes Ball, the director of the new film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the call for simplification of the game. I spoke with the filmmaker at the film’s press day in Los Angeles, and when I asked him if he considered all of the aforementioned titles canonical, he explained his opinion on the matter:
Honestly, for me, what I had in mind when we were thinking about this was the last 3 movies, the Caesar trilogy and the original ’68. Actually, he was in my crosshairs. Everything else is. . . Which I think is what’s appealing about this franchise. It’s been pretty loosely connected. It’s never been so rigid, unlike other franchises, that if you replace one little thing, [it makes other people go, ‘What!?’A little bit. He’s a coward.
Part of what contributes to this slack in the Planet of the Apes franchise is the time jumps. The events of the film do not pick up without delay after the previous chapter, and it is partly up to the audience’s mind to figure out how. The global canon has changed. This is indeed the case with Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, which is firmly canonical with War For The Planet Of The Apes but is set “several generations later”.
As protective “before” and “after” barriers to the new blockbuster, 1968’s Planet of the Apes trilogy and Caesar provided a foundation to build on that wasn’t creatively restrictive. At the same time, Wes Ball explained that some of the DNA from the original sequels are in the film. The director went on to say:
As long as I feel like we’re staying true to those pillars, I feel like we’re in good shape. It’s possible that you simply belong to the franchise. And we see a lot of echoes of the film. You see it underneath [Planet of the Apes] there. You see a certain conquest [of the planet of the apes] there. But yes, that’s how it goes. But it also depends on how you think about time travel movies, because they’re back and maybe we’re not there yet.
This is how I personally prefer to see the continuity of Planet Of The Apes: The time travel in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes establishes a separate timeline from the franchise’s founding film rather than creating a loop. Meanwhile, the Caesar trilogy and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (which will launch its own trilogy) is a representation of the original timeline that will eventually lead to the events of the original.
The new film doesn’t provide any corporate answers as to whether this is the right way to interpret the Planet of the Apes franchise, but that’s partly because Wes Ball needs enthusiasts to talk about these things when they come out.
It’s anything that other people can debate about, which is great. They may pass out in the parking lot and talk about all of this.
With a cast that includes franchise newcomers Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and many more, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is already generating a lot of buzz ahead of its release, and will be in theaters worldwide. This Friday, May 1st, ten.
After graduating from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as an editor for CinemaBlend, and after six months, he was presented with the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take a newly created editor-in-chief position on the West Coast. More than a decade later, she continues to advance her interests and skills. In addition to conducting interviews with filmmakers and contributing content to the site’s news and feature films, Eric also oversees the Film Critics section, writes the weekend’s box office report (which is released on Sundays), and is the resident expert on Stephen King’s site. It has two columns similar to King.
FBI’s Zeeko Zaki Talks About AO’s ‘Case of the Week Loop’ and AO’s ‘Different Masks’ to Deal with Triggers in New Episode
Before Tracker introduces Jensen Ackles as Colter’s brother, will Melissa Roxburgh return as Dory?Here’s What We Know
Young Sheldon’s Raegan Revord on the moment he missed his reunion with Mark Hamill and his “lifelong dream” in Star Wars
Cinemablend is from Future US Inc. , a leading global media organization and virtual publisher. Visit our corporate website.