Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Studio Requested 1 Change From 2010s Prequel Trilogy

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball reveals the one way the studio wanted his film to differ from the 2010s prequel trilogy. After the story of Andy Serkis’ Caesar concluded in 2017, Ball’s new movie moves things further along in the Planet of the Apes timeline, following a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) hundreds of years later. The new film chronicles Noa’s epic journey as he encounters both a mysterious human woman, Mae (Freya Allan), and a tyrannical ape named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand).

In a recent interview with SlashFilm as Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes releases in theaters, Ball reveals that he was free to make the film as he saw fit, but 20th Century Studios did have one request. According to the filmmaker, the studio wanted the new entry to not be quite so dark and serious. Check out Ball’s full comment below:

“That was the only thing that the studio asked, was could we find a tone that was a little lighter, I suppose, without compromising all the things that made these movies great — which is mature storytelling and real stakes and real drama and conflict, all that stuff. And I was happy to go there because my instincts naturally go there anyway.

“We thought of this more as an adventure movie. It’s a young character this time. He’s very innocent, and that’s probably where the humor comes from, is that innocence. Or that sense of being behind on the knowledge of things. And there’s more that we actually had to cut out for time, but maybe we’ll get in there for another version of the movie or something.

“But yeah, just try to give people a good time in the theater. Try to have some nice, contemplate big ideas next to a campfire, but also run into the fields being chased by giant gorillas and also just some fun moments where you can smile and have a good time and meet these characters, fall in love with these characters. We tried.”

How Noa Makes Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Less Dark

Caesar Was Just A More Serious Character

While Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011 is not especially dark, both 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes are. All three installments feature moments of humor, but Caesar is a character with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Serkis’ character essentially feels responsible for carving a path forward for his entire species, and the final film in the trilogy sees both his mate and his child killed as he pursues this.

Noa, on the other hand, is younger and more innocent, and this helps to give Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes a lighter tone. While bad things do happen to him, and he loses apes he is close to, his innocence, as Ball suggests, prevents the movie from going into overly dark territory. For Noa, this is a journey of discovery, and the world, in addition to featuring darkness and nefarious apes, is filled with opportunity and the promise of adventure.

One tone isn’t inherently better or worse than the other, and it’s entirely possible that if another sequel happens, further exploring the events of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ending, things will get darker and more serious for Noa. This, after all, would mirror the events of Ceasar’s own journey as he grows older and comes to possess more responsibility. It remains to be seen how Noa’s story will continue to progress, but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes‘ positive reception certainly suggests it’s not the end of the line.

Source: SlashFilm

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Set several years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next installment in the Apes saga. Ape clans have taken up residence in the oasis that Caesar sought to colonize, but humans have reverted to their animalistic nature in their absence. Now battling between enslavement and freedom, outliers in the Ape clans will take sides in a newly burgeoning society.

Director

Wes Ball

Release Date

May 10, 2024

Studio(s)

20th Century , Chernin Entertainment , Oddball Entertainment , Shinbone Productions

Distributor(s)

20th Century

Writers

Patrick Aison , Josh Friedman , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver

Cast

Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands

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