The director of “Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom” explains the reason why Andy Serkis – who plays Caesar in the previous trilogy – is not in the casting of this new opus.
Seven years after the last part of the Planet of the Apes saga, Wes Ball – director of Labyrinth – unveils Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom. The director spoke about his feature film in the columns of the magazine Empire.
We therefore learn that New Kingdom will take place approximately 300 years after the reign of Caesar. Monkeys are the dominant species and live in harmony while humans live in the shadows.
The hero of this film, a young monkey, played in performance capture by actor Owen Teague, undertakes a harrowing journey that will lead him to question everything he knows about the past and make choices that will define the future monkeys and humans.
Owen Teague succeeds Andy Serkis who played Caesar, the hero of the previous trilogy. Having become the undisputed expert in performance capture after his incarnations of Gollum, Caesar, Snoke, Captain Haddock and Kong, Andy Serkis is not in the casting of this new opus.
Andy Serkis is too iconic
Director Wes Ball explains why: “We talked about it. We wondered if we could have him play a character other than Caesar. I entertained the idea for a long time, because I thought it would be really cool. And Matt [Reeves] always said, ‘Andy is the best actor I’ve ever worked with’ so I wanted to collaborate with him.
But in a way, it’s too iconic. So we decided it was better to think about future films where he might be able to appear.”
In Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom, Caesar is considered an icon. Proximus, the new leader of the primates (visible on the cover of the magazine above) even took the name of the hero from the previous installments.
Actor Kevin Durand, who plays the chimpanzee, explains to Empire : “Caesar is almost a religious figure, and Proximus took the name Caesar because it was the highest position held in ape society.
This is a self-proclamation achieved by any means necessary, to ensure that apes continue to evolve. So you see the influence and evolution of what Caesar left behind. And, as in every part of the History of humanity, there is always a tyrant who arrives and frightens everyone..”
20th century Fox New Kingdom
First film in a new trilogy?
Despite this link with the previous opuses, Planet of the Apes: The New Kingdom is not considered a fourth part of the last trilogy. The history envisaged by Wes Ball and the screenwriters is much broader. The director also explains that this film could be the first in a new trilogy.
“From the beginning, we envisioned this film as a trilogy. We had big ideas about where it could go and how it could fit into the legacy of the saga. So I’m talking to [le studio] from the next story.”
Even if Wes Ball may not direct these films himself, since he is already announced on the live adaptation of the video game The Legend Of Zelda, he should remain involved in some way in future opuses. Planet of the Apes: The New Kingdom is scheduled to hit our theaters on May 22.