Following the triumph of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, director Matt Shakman is set to helm the upcoming Planet of the Apes installment, according to reports from Deadline. While Shakman is a newcomer to this iconic saga, screenwriter Josh Friedman is returning, having penned 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which successfully expanded upon Matt Reeves’ acclaimed reboot trilogy. While specific plot details remain under wraps, I am hopeful this new chapter will remain anchored in the compelling world Reeves meticulously crafted.
Deadline notes that the upcoming film promises a “return to the planet where apes are the superior species ruling all.” According to their sources, Shakman’s project will diverge from a direct continuation of Kingdom, opting instead for a standalone, original narrative.
Photo: 20th Century FoxThis news can be interpreted in a few ways. It could signal a complete reinvention, or perhaps another autonomous sequel like Kingdom, which bypassed a direct continuation of the trilogy to explore a new era centuries later. I am firmly in the camp that hopes for the latter—a fresh narrative set within the established lore. The Reeves trilogy remains etched in the cultural zeitgeist, and the technical artistry behind those CGI primates remains remarkably impressive.
The flexibility to craft new protagonists and settings offers immense storytelling potential. Kingdom proved that we could focus on more intimate, focused stories while still benefitting from the foundation laid by previous entries. There is a distinct appeal to a franchise built upon disparate, standalone films that share a cohesive DNA. Frankly, I am not prepared to bid farewell to the world built upon Caesar’s legacy.
On a more whimsical note, it is fascinating that the director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now steering this ship, especially considering the ape-heavy sequence notably excised from his Marvel feature. That deleted scene involved the Fantastic Four squaring off against the Red Ghost and his Super Apes. Given that only a fleeting shot of Mr. Fantastic interacting with an orangutan survived the cut, one has to wonder if this new project serves as a cinematic act of redemption.
Every Planet of the Apes movie has a pointed message about life in 2020
The franchise serves as a mirror to our enduring cycles of conflict and social mistakes.
Source: Polygon
