Summary
It seems Disney is happy with how Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Plante of the Apes performed at the box office and is planning to give the filmmaker a chance to continue with his planned trilogy.
In 2019,Disneyannounced that morePlanet of the Apesmovies were in development. A year later, the studio confirmed that Wes Ball would be directing the film, with Josh Freidman serving as the screenwriter. The film was released in May 2024 and opened to extremely positive reviews, with critics complimenting the thought-provoking storyline. Moreover, it went on to earn more than $397 million at the global box office. For months, discussions have been ongoing about whether Ball will have the opportunity to carry forward his vision. Now, a recent report suggests that Disney is more than happy to let the filmmaker move ahead with his planned trilogy.
According to a report inThe Hollywood Reporter, the release ofKingdom of the Planet of the Apesserved as a pivotal test following the massive Disney-Fox merger. As per the report, the film yielded good results for the production giant, grossing nearly $400 million globally and receiving praise from critics. Reportedly, the box office performance and critical acclaim “pleased” Disney and encouraged them to allow Ball to continue with his plannedPlanet of the Apestrilogy. The box office performances ofKingdom of the Planet of the ApesandAlien: Romulusgave 20th Century Fox a sigh of relief after it was rumored the studio might not achieve the level of success that it achieved withDeadpool. However, the performances of the aforementioned projects gave 20th Century Fox a massive boost.
Disney had the tough task of revivingthePlanet of the Apesfranchiseafter Matt Reeves' mind-blowing trilogy. The films by Reeves not only earned more than $1 billion at the box office, but they also made the studio believe that this franchise has the potential to become something monumental. However, that level of success could only be achieved if there were good stories to tell and Reeves did an exceptional job with the storytelling part. That’s one of the reasons why Disney took seven years to bring the newPlanet of the Apesto the big screen. The studio sought someone who could emulate what Reeves achieved with the previous films and deliver a story that felt compelling and full of potential. With Ball’s vision, the studios seem to believe that they might have another win on their hands, and it would be interesting to see how they move ahead with this planned trilogy.
As of now, nothing has been announced by Disney and plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps. However, the second film in the newPlanet of the Apesmight begin from where theKingdom of the Planet of the Apesended. The announcement of the sequel might be around the corner, and it would be fascinating to see if any big star will be making an entry into the franchise.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis available for streaming on Disney+.
