Are you ready to re-enter the Planet of the Apes? Another adventure is ahead of us from 20th Century Studios in The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and we will see fresh new faces tackling the films.
Deadline reports that 20th Century looks to relaunch the film franchise with a new entry from director Wes Ball. Ball is known for directing the 2014 film The Maze Runner and its sequels, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure. Joining Ball will be actor Owen Teague, serving as the film’s leading primate. Yes, the search for the human lead role remains, but Teague will play the new central ape.
In the report, Deadline notes Ball delivered a script that wowed executives earlier this summer, and the studio quickly launched into the casting process. Deadline states, “Teague wowed execs with his screen tests and was offered the role in recent weeks.”
Teague already had his big screen debut in 2017’s hit horror film IT and starred in The Stand for Paramount+, but this will be his most significant role. While stepping into the shoes of previous ape leading man Andy Serkis is no easy task, the young actor could take his route for the part.
Ball began working on The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in 2019, where he developed his early script and had already started teaming with a VFX team. Since the last film series had groundbreaking motion-capture technology, the filmmaker and the studio will want to keep up with the high bar set.
Filming on The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is slated to get underway before the end of the year.
