“Directed by Wes Ball and written by Josh Friedman,” Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is a 2024 American science fiction action film, serving as a standalone sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). It marks the fourth installment in the reboot franchise and the tenth overall in the Planet of the Apes series. The movie stars Owen Teague in the lead role, supported by Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy. Set 300 years after the events of War, the story follows a young chimpanzee named Noa and a human woman named Mae as they embark on a journey to shape the destiny of both apes and humans.
Development of the film began in April 2019, following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, with Wes Ball joining as writer and director in December of the same year. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, much of the script was completed during this period. Casting commenced in June 2022, with Teague securing the lead role in August, and additional casting announcements followed. Principal photography took place from October 2022 to February 2023 in Sydney. The film premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on May 2, 2024, before its wide release by 20th Century Studios in the United States on May 10. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes garnered generally positive reviews from critics and has amassed over $141 million worldwide.”
CHARACTERS
- Owen Teague portrays Noa, an elder chimpanzee hunter and the successor to his father Koro as leader of their ape clan.
- Kevin Durand takes on the role of Proximus Caesar, an ambitious bonobo monarch leading a coastal ape clan in pursuit of human technologies, espousing a modified version of Caesar’s teachings.
- Peter Macon stars as Raka, a sagacious and righteous Bornean orangutan who allies with Noa.
- Lydia Peckham appears as Soona, a female chimpanzee and Noa’s romantic interest.
- Travis Jeffery plays Anaya, a male chimpanzee and Noa’s closest companion.
- Sara Wiseman portrays Dar, Noa’s chimpanzee mother.
- Neil Sandilands embodies Koro, Noa’s chimpanzee father and leader of the falconry ape clan.
- Eka Darville depicts Sylva, a western lowland gorilla and chief commander of Proximus’ army.
- Ras-Samuel appears as Lightning, a chimpanzee soldier serving in Proximus’ army.
STORYLINE
In a future era long after Caesar’s demise, both apes and humans have evolved into separate factions, with humans living in a feral state. Noa, a chimpanzee belonging to a clan skilled in falconry, readies himself for a significant ceremony by gathering eagle eggs alongside his companions Anaya and Soona. However, their routine is disrupted when a human scavenger intrudes and damages Noa’s egg, prompting a scuffle before the intruder flees. While seeking a replacement egg, Noa encounters a band of ape raiders equipped with advanced electric weaponry. As the raiders trace Noa back to his village, he rushes home only to find it under attack, resulting in the death of his father at the hands of the raider leader Sylva. Waking to find his clan abducted, Noa sets out on a quest to rescue them, aided by Raka, an orangutan who enlightens him about Caesar’s teachings. Along the journey, they encounter Nova, the human scavenger, whom Raka dubs Mae, and they save her from an ambush. Nova reveals crucial information about the whereabouts of Noa’s clan, taken to a settlement near a human vault. Amidst challenges and confrontations, including the capture of Noa and Mae by the apes, they uncover Proximus Caesar’s reign, who enslaves other clans to access human technology within the vault.
Noa grapples with moral dilemmas and forms an alliance with Mae, planning to dismantle Proximus’s reign and liberate his clan. Together with Soona and Anaya, they plant explosives to sabotage the settlement. However, their efforts are thwarted by Trevathan, a human prisoner, whom Mae kills to protect their mission. Inside the vault, Mae discloses the vault’s secrets, including a satellite decryption key hidden within a book. The group triggers explosives to flood the bunker, sacrificing themselves to foil Proximus’s control. In the aftermath, Noa’s clan rebuilds their home, while Mae departs, believing in humanity’s redemption. Noa ponders the possibility of peaceful coexistence between apes and humans, while Mae heads to a quarantined human settlement to deliver the decryption key, facilitating global communication among humans.
