Production on the Planet of the Apes sequel-and-prequel, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, has now begun in Sydney, Australia. Coming courtesy of a report by Deadline, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be the latest installment in the decade-spanning, iconic sci-fi franchise, with production on the project set to take place at Disney Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales. A studio that was formerly known as Fox Studios Australia before the historical Disney/Fox merger.

Production on Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes comes as part of a deal in which the Australian government will partly fund the movie to the tune of around $10 million USD. In return, the Planet of the Apes sequel/prequel is expected to bring in 400 jobs for the local community whilst injecting around $80 million USD into the Australian economy. Not bad for a day’s work.

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Will Pick Up Following the Events of War for the Planet of the Apes

     20th Century Fox

Not much has yet been revealed regarding the direction of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but it is expected to pick up after the events of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. But don’t expect to see many familiar faces, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes picking up many, many years after the reign of Ceasar (Andy Serkis). Based on the recently released concept art, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will drop audiences onto an Earth that is now ruled over by the simians, with cities having been taken back by mother nature.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to be directed by The Maze Runner filmmaker Wes Ball, who has assured fans that the beloved franchise is in safe hands. “We have a take. We have a way of staying in the universe that was created before us, but we’re also opening ourselves up in being able to do some really cool new stuff. Again, I’m trying to be careful here. I’ll say this, for fans of the original three, don’t worry — you’re in good hands,” Ball said back in May 2020.

Written by Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be led by It star Owen Teague and The Witcher’s Freya Allan, with the former playing the main ape, with the latter set to play the main human character. X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Locke and Key star Kevin Durand was recently cast as the villain.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released in 2024 and is expected to be the first part of a new trilogy.