Director Wes Ball On Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Original Title: 'We Just Couldn’t Do It'

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes marks the tenth installment in the long-running franchise, but according to director Wes Ball, it’s just the beginning. Wes Ball has hinted that the upcoming film is poised to kick off a fresh trilogy, suggesting that the saga of ape and human conflict is far from over. With excitement building among fans for what the film has in store, director Wes Ball recently revealed that the film almost had a different title that ultimately didn’t make it to the final version.

In an interview with ComicBook, when questioned about the possibility of adding more words before “of the Planet of the Apes” in future film titles, Wes Ball humorously expressed, “None…It is hard to come up with these movies. But for anyone out there, there’s no of the, of the, of the, it’s just two “of the”s or “for the,” it’s just one word of the planet of the Apes. That’s the way the titles work, it has since 19 freaking 70.”

Furthermore, he revealed his initial title for the film was “Empire of the Planet of the Apes.” However, he admitted, “We couldn’t do it, we just couldn’t.”

Speaking about the trilogy plans, Wes Ball disclosed that the conclusion of this movie has opened doors to a potentially expansive world, teeming with drama and conflict, that he hopes to explore further in subsequent installments. “We have an idea where we wanna go and there’s lots of room for great drama,” he added.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the standalone sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) and the tenth film in the franchise. The cast of the film is led by Owen Teague, who portrays the character Noa, a young chimpanzee. The It actor is joined by Kevin Duran from Locke & Key, who plays Proximus Caesar, a formidable chieftain adept at using human technology. Travis Jeffery takes on the role of Anaya, while Lydia Peckham portrays Soona, a female chimpanzee and a close companion of Noa. Neil Sandilands stars as Koro, Peter Macon as Raka, and Freya Allan, recognised for her role in The Witcher, appears as Mae, one of the few human characters in the film.

The film is written by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison. 20th Century Studios India will release the film in cinemas on May 10, 2024, in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu language.