'It’s Gunna Blow People’s Minds', Andy Serkis on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) will be hitting theaters next year. While that might seem like a long time, we're already pretty excited, even if we never expected another film in the Apes reboot series. In fact, deep down, many fans don't even want another Apes film, but even if it's remotely consistent with the three previous films, we can expect great things. Now, actor Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar in those films, has shed some light on what we can expect, saying that it will "blow people's minds"!

When one thinks of motion-capture actors, the name Andy Serkis always comes to mind. After all, he brought Gollum to life in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and in 2005, King Kong, in Peter Jackson's big-budget remake. In more recent years, he played Caesar, starting in Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), continuing with Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017).

Caesar was a breath-taking force of nature, and though he sadly meets his demise in the 2017 film, his legacy will live on in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. In fact, that's exactly what the upcoming film will touch upon. Last year, the official Twitter page for the film shared the below tweet, teasing a brief synopsis along with some intriguing artwork that shows Caesar's son, Cornelius (played by Owen Teague) on horseback, set against a city that has long since been reclaimed by nature, thus suggesting that a long time has passed since the events of War for the Planet of the Apes.

Check out the tweet here:

A new saga begins. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," picking up many years after "War for the Planet of the Apes," starts production next month and stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, and Peter Macon. Directed by Wes Ball, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" arrives in 2024.

Since then, several cast members have been announced (although it's unclear who's human and who's ape). Along with IT's Owen Teague (Cornelius), The Witcher's Freya Allen, The Orville's Peter Macon, Jurassic World Dominion's Dichen Lachman, Eka Darville, Kevin Durand, Travis Jeffery, Neil Sandilands, Sara Wiseman, Lydia Peckham, and Ras-Samuel Weld A'abzgi have also joined the cast in undisclosed roles.

Filming for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is currently underway in Sydney, Australia, and the film is expected to arrive in theaters on May 24, 2024.

Now, in a recent interview with CinemaBlend, actor Andy Serkis, who won't be reprising his role in the new film (although it's entirely possible there will be some flashback sequences), has revealed his thoughts on how the film is shaping up so far. Here's what he said:

"I think Wes Ball is going to do an amazing job with this film. I think it’s, from what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, there’s some amazing conceptual artwork. And where they’ve chosen to land the story and take off with the next iteration, I think it’s gonna blow people’s minds."

So, even if Serkis isn't involved in any way, shape, or form (though we do suspect he's involved in a motion-capture performance consultation capacity), having his endorsement for the upcoming film is sure to have fans excited.

Last year, The Hollywood Reporter shared the film's official synopsis, which reads as follows:

The new Apes movie is set many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. Many apes societies have grown from when the Moses-like Caesar brought his people to an oasis, while humans have been reduced to a feral-like existence. Some ape groups have never heard of Caesar, while others have contorted his teaching to build burgeoning empires.

It stars IT's Owen Teague (Cornelius), and The Witcher's Freya Allen, The Orville's Peter Macon, Jurassic World Dominion's Dichen Lachman, Eka Darville, Kevin Durand, Travis Jeffery, Neil Sandilands, Sara Wiseman, Lydia Peckham, and Ras-Samuel Weld A'abzgi in undisclosed roles.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released on May 24, 2024.

It will be the tenth installment in the Apes franchise, however, it will only follow on from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes. It is being helmed by The Maze Runner (2014) director Wes Ball, with a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison. Production is currently underway at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney, Australia.