‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise looks to the future with new film ‘Kingdom’

LONDON: “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”, the latest instalment in the sci-fi franchise, is both a sequel and a prequel, its director, Wes Ball, says.

The action-adventure is the tenth “Planet of the Apes” movie and follows the reboot trilogy, which debuted in 2011 with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and includes the 2014 film “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes”. “It’s certainly big shoes to fill,” Ball, known for the “Maze Runner” movies, said at the new film’s London launch on Thursday.

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is set several generations after the events of the 2017 film and centres on a young and naive but brave ape Noa (Owen Teague).