The Maze Runner trilogy director Wes Ball’s addition to the Planet of the Apes franchise, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, started filming way back in October, but some fresh casting news just arrived online today. The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Dichen Lachman – whose previous credits include Jurassic World: Dominion, Agents of S.H.I.E.LD., and Severance – has a role in the film. Of course, details on the character she’s playing were not revealed.
Also in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast are Owen Teague (It), Freya Allan (The Witcher), William H. Macy (Boogie Nights), Peter Macon (The Orville), Eka Darville (Jessica Jones), Kevin Durand (The Strain), Travis Jeffery (Unbroken), Sara Wiseman (One Of Us Is Lying), Neil Sandilands (Sweet Tooth), Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi (The Clearing), and Lydia Peckham (Cowboy Bebop).
Ball’s involvement with Planet of the Apes was first announced at the end of 2019. In 2020, he confirmed that development of the project was continuing through Zoom conversations during the pandemic shutdown. He crafted the screenplay with Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison, and said an art team had been creating some “incredible concept art”. Ball also said that his movie is going to feel like the recent Apes movies (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes) but will also be doing its own thing.
The story is set is set many years after the conclusion of 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 groups have never heard of Caesar, while others have contorted his teaching to build burgeoning empires. In this setting, one ape leader begins to enslave other groups to find human technology, while another ape, who watched his clan be taken, embarks on a journey to find freedom. A young human woman becomes key to latter’s quest, although she has plans of her own.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is scheduled to reach theatres on May 24, 2024. Are you looking forward to this new entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise? What do you think of Dichen Lachman joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below. I will always be interested in seeing a new Apes movie.