Wes Ball, the director of the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes film revealed he already has plans for an entire trilogy.
Director Wes Ball on the set of 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo by Jasin Boland. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Speaking with Collider, Ball told the outlet, “There’s more to come, I think. If we’re lucky enough, there’s more ideas to come, in 2 and 3.”
When pressed on his comments, he said, “I don’t want to say we end on a cliffhanger, but we certainly end on a new door opening, essentially, that will allow us to keep going, you know, if we wanted to. If we were successful enough to.”
(L-R): Soona (played by Lydia Peckham) and Noa (played by Owen Teague) in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2023 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Ball also shared how he initially turned the film down, but after a week an idea came to him as to how he would continue the franchise.
He said, “Honestly, I said, ‘No thanks.’ I was like, ‘Why do it? The trilogy was fine. It has a perfect little thing. Why do it? I’m not interested in doing a Part Four. It’s not really fun; it’s not very interesting.’”
“I went away, it was like, I have a week later, I think I know how to do this,” he continued. “It was this thing of what we do is we make a big leap. It’s a big bold choice. We’re gonna do a giant cut after Caesar has died, but we’re not gonna abandon what has come before us essentially, right?”
Proximus Caesar (played by Kevin Durand) in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Ball elaborated, “We’re still in that same world. We’re still in that universe, and in fact we get to play with the idea of what has happened to Caesar’s legacy? What has survived? Whole buildings are dissolving away. What has happened to his stories, his legacy, his teachings?”
He also shared another of the film’s main themes, “Whereas the previous movies were all about the virus and the spread, this is about knowledge and how it can catch it and spread it, and how it can change you and affect you.”
Director Wes Ball on the set of 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo by Jasin Boland. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The first film in the most recent trilogy, Rise of the Planet of the Apes grossed $470.9 million worldwide back in 2011 with an estimated production budget of $93 million.
The second film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes grossed $710.6 million worldwide on an estimated production budget of $170 million in 2014.
Finally, the third film, War for the Planet of the Apes grossed $489.5 million worldwide on a production budget of $152 million in 2017.
(Left): Raka (played by Peter Macon) in 20th Century Studios’ KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes arrives in theaters on May 10, 2024.
What do you make of Ball’s comments about a possible trilogy?
