Planet of the Apesis one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises of all time, dating back to the original groundbreaking film from 1968. In the years after the first movie, four sequels were produced, although they didn’t garner the same reputation as the original. Still, the iconic nature of the premise, in which apes are now the dominant species with humans in cages and unable to speak, still holds up the franchise and makes it an interesting story to continually come back to.
This was exactly the case when three prequel films were made (after Tim Burton’s remake, but not in the same continuity), which told the story of how Earth ended up the way it did in the 1968 film. These prequels put new life into the franchise, and are great examples of how big-budget blockbusters can still remain character-driven and emotional. Because of this success, Disney immediately put forth plans to make another film in the franchise when they bought Fox in 2019. With Wes Ball attached as director and Josh Friedman penning the script, it seems only a matter of time before a new film featuring chimps, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. Here’s what the plot ofthe nextPlanet of the Apesmovie could be.
RELATED:New Planet Of The Apes Movie Set In Same Universe As Recent Trilogy
In the original film, Earth was vastly different years in the future, and had turned into a dry desert somewhat reminiscent of Mars. Of course, the human astronauts who arrived in the future were unaware they were on Earth, a twist saved for the final moments of the film in what ended up being one of the most memorable endings to any movie ever. Before that, though, the humans, led by Charlton Heston, were hunted and captured by intelligent apes who could talk and walk on two legs.
The leaders of this futuristic ape world kept the fact that the planet used to be ruled by humans, the species that the apes keep in cages in an eerily similar way to zoos and other captivities, in order to preserve their religion which stated the ultimately fictional origins of the civilization. It’s an element of the plotthat mirrors the evolution and religion conversation, and given the fact that the film was co-written by the great Rod Serling, creator ofThe Twilight Zone, metaphors to the real world are to be expected. More broadly, the plot of this fictional world has only garnered more interest as time went on, especially with the emergence of highly intelligent apes in the real world, like Kanzi the bonobo and Nim Chimpsky, both of whom demonstrate language skills similar to that of the apes in the prequels.
The mere premise of the original film is primed for a prequel explaining the specifics of this transformation. This is exactly what happened withRise of the Planet of the Apes, the first in this prequel trilogy. The film tells the tale of a company desperate to make an Alzheimer’s cure to sell around the world, testing their experimental medicines on innocent chimpanzees.A side effect of this is that it makes the chimps highly intelligent, and even more human-like than they already are. The chimp who is the center of the film, and the trilogy more broadly, is Andy Serkis’ Caesar, who is opposite James Franco. As well as the expanding upon of the intelligence of the apes, the destruction of human society is also teased as a disease spreads that causes a pandemic.
This infectious disease plot line is followed upin the rest of the trilogy,Dawn of the Planet of the ApesandWar of the Planet of the Apes. The world is virtually destroyed in these movies, with only a few pockets of human societies remaining, most of which without power or other necessities. Survivors are lucky enough to be immune from the virus, but the final film in the trilogy reveals that humans begin to suffer from a mysterious illness that makes them mute, hence why they can’t speak in the original film. Overall, this trilogy does a fantastic job of exploring this interesting science fiction world.
These prequel films were well received, especially the two written and directed by Matt Reeves. The latter two received a 90% and 94% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, demonstrating high praise for the films.They took a different, more nuanced approach fromRise, which was more of a traditional blockbuster compared to Reeves’ more intimate, thoughtful films. As stated previously, this incredible reception meant it was merely a matter of time before audiences saw more of this world.
A new movie is currently in development, but details and specifics on the project are scarce. Bar the creative team, virtually nothing is known except for the fact that it will be in the same continuity as the original movie and its prequels, thus quelling any speculation that it could be a reboot like Tim Burton’s film. As such, fans are wondering what the plot could be, andthe answer could lie in the timeline of the franchiseand the films already released.War for the Planet of the Apesended with the humans almost extinct, set to follow the path that leads them to becoming what they are in the 1968 film. Meanwhile, apes are thriving, and are more intelligent than ever. Still, there’s a substantial amount of time between these final moments and the first film, leaving enough space for a new story to take place in.
With regard to the story itself, there are a few possibilities. Fans could see the beginnings of the ape society, more raw and fresh than what it was in the original. The creators could possibly explore the religious story of the first film and the origins of that, along with its influence on the intelligent apes. This would further expand upon the metaphor from the first film, and would be a fitting plot given that the franchise has always had plenty of real world commentary.
The plot could also be more akin to Matt Reeves’ films,where humans are up against apes(this is particularly true ofWar). Humans were still more clever than the apes in those films, but perhaps the writers could flip the script, making the apes more intelligent than the humans, but the latter still a significant threat compared to what they were in the original. Intelligence aside, the new film could simply show humans, perhaps still talking, trying to topple the ape regime, except with the humans even more desperate and desolate than they were in the prequels.
War for the Planet of the Apesdealt with themes likeclimate change, nuclear warfare, and human self-destructionas Woody Harrelson’s character attempted to build a wall and used the apes to help construct it. As it’s possible that the ape society is still relatively new in the upcoming film, it’s possible that themes like this appear once again, this time with the apes dealing with these growing pains of being the dominant species. Humans fought with each other in the prequel trilogy of this franchise, particularly inDawn of the Planet of the Apes,which saw different people take different approaches to rebuilding society. It’s plausible that this issue will reappear once again in the new film, with it, extremely relevant themes once again.
Overall,Planet of the Apesis an iconic franchise that has plenty of room for future stories. It seems likely that these will come in betweenWar for the Planet of the ApesandPlanet of the Apes, where there’s plenty of time to tell unique and interesting stories.
