The latestPlanet of the Apesmovie,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, may have jumped forward in time to a new generation of apes, but the franchise is still far away from the big twist audiences have been waiting for.Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis the fourth installmentinthe rebootPlanet of the Apesseries, which began in 2011 withRise of the Planet of the Apes.This fourth movie stands out because, rather than following the franchise’s original protagonist, Caesar, the movie fast forwards to a completely new generation.
The rebootPlanet of the Apesfranchise is unique from its predecessors. Whilethe original 1970sPlanet of the Apesmoviescentered on humans in the far future who find a planet run by apes, the reboot series focuses on the present day and how apes became powerful in a world run by humans. Arguably, the reboot movies could be considered prequels to the original franchise. As a result,audiences have been waiting for the reboot films to reach the timeline of the original movies, when Earth is completely run by apes. Unfortunately, this may not happen soon.
The Original Planet Of The Apes Was Set In 3978 (Kingdom Was Around The 25th Century)
The Planet Of The Apes Timeline Gap Explained
It will be exciting to see the rebootPlanet of the Apesmovies catch up to the original franchise, yet it seems unlikely that this will happen any time soon.Kingdom of the Planet of the Apestakes placein the future, but not far enough for the two film series to connect just yet. For reference,the synopsis ofKingdom of the Planet of the Apesplaces it 300 years afterWar for the Planet of the Apes,which took place around 2028. Therefore,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apeswas approximately set in 2328.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2019
2011
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2026
2014
War for the Planet of the Apes
2028
2017
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
2328
2024
Believe it or not, this is far from the time period of the originalPlanet of the Apes.1968’sPlanet of the Apestook place in 3978.This puts a 1,650-year gap betweenKingdom of the Planet of the ApesandPlanet of the Apes.While the latest installment in the franchise definitely felt closer to the reality presented inPlanet of the Apes,the timelines are still far away from each other. In fact, the characters introduced inKingdom of the Planet of the Apeswill be long dead byPlanet of the Apes,and Caesar entirely forgotten.
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ World Is Still Not Quite What The Astronauts Found
How Kingdom Sets Up Planet Of The Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesprovides audiences with a new version of Earth, but it isn’t quite what George Taylor found in the original movie.InPlanet of the Apes,Taylor and his colleagues find a desolate wastelandwhen they first arrive on Earth. Although they do find a lake surrounded by lush nature, the majority of the film takes place in a desert-like setting. InKingdom of the Planet of the Apes,there is an overwhelming amount of greenery and nature.
Every Single Planet Of The Apes Movie (In Chronological Order)
The Planet of the Apes timeline is a bit confusing, so we arranged them in their proper chronological order
Furthermore,the apes have yet to develop a population as solid asPlanet of the Apes’Ape City.In fact,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apeshas a particular focus on how the apes have colonized the land over the past 300 years. Based on Noa’s village, it is clear that there are certain ape dwellings, but they are not necessarily united. Clans like Proximus Caesar’s harm other ape groups for power. Thus, the apes inKingdom of the Planet of the Apesare far from forming any type of Ape City.
Of course,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesdoes set up the beginnings of what eventually appears inPlanet of the Apes.Proximus Caesar is a tyrant who keeps apes under his thumb. Despite this, he has a rather large population of apes living with him. This type of civilization could eventually lead to something like Ape City. On top of that,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apeshas already given a sneak peek at how the apes ride on horsebackthroughout the land, intending to do harm to others.
Even With A Time Skip, It Would Still Be Too Soon For The Astronauts To Crash On Earth
Predicting Planet Of The Apes' Timeline
AfterKingdom of the Planet of the Apes,audiences may be looking forward to getting even closer to the timeline ofPlanet of the Apes,but it probably won’t happen soon. According to Wes Ball,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis the first in a new trilogywithin the reboot series, so two more movies are definitely on the way, but there’s no guarantee that they will reach the year 3978.IfKingdom’ssequelwas to jump to 3978, that would completely abandon Noa and his peers. Thus, the next movie will have to move more slowly.
It would make sense that the next movies would not make another leap forward in time, but instead, would show how Noa becomes a notable figure among the apes.
It seems likely thatKingdom of the Planet of the Apesand its sequels will focus heavily on Noa, just as the first movies centered on Caesar. It would make sense that the next movies would not make another leap forward in time, but instead, would show how Noa becomes a notable figure among the apes. Theend ofKingdom of the Planet of the Apesalso hints at an upcoming conflict between the apes and the humans. It definitely would not make sense to skip over that in favor of connecting the film series' timelines.
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Sequels Don’t Need To Follow The Original Chronology
The Reboot Planet Of The Apes Can Stand On Its Own
In any case,the rebootPlanet of the Apesmovies do not necessarily have to align perfectly with the original films. It has been clear from the very beginning that the reboot movies are telling a different story than the initial films. These new movies, fromRisetoKingdom,have offered audiences amazing new characters and some serious moral qualms to sort through. Over the years, they have definitely proved that they can stand on their own, separate from the original series. Therefore, connecting the timelines doesn’t even need to happen.
Planet of the Apes
1968
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
1970
Escape from the Planet of the Apes
1971
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
1972
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
1973
Planet of the Apes(remake)
2001
On the other hand,the reboot movies could introduce human astronauts whenever they want. 3978 may be simply too far away, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world for the reboot series to bring in George Taylor or a similar character earlier on. However, based on how the franchise is going, it seems like the movies aren’t too concerned with reaching this huge moment. There are other characters, both human and ape, that are more interesting to explore inKingdom of the Planet of the Apesand beyond rather than the characters audiences already know.
Cast
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.
