As part of a largely Marvel-centric slate change, Disney announced on Tuesday that it is setting 20th Century Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” for a Memorial Day weekend release in May 2024.
The tenth “Apes” film — also the fourth in 20th Century’s reboot saga — will compete against Warner Bros.’ “Mad Max: Fury Road” spinoff “Furiosa” and will debut three weeks after the Marvel blockbuster “Captain America: New World Order.” Production began this past week in Sydney, Australia.
Set years after the events of the 2017 film “War for the Planet of the Apes,” “Kingdom” will explore the legacy of the reboot saga’s hero Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, who gave his life to free his tribe. Owen Teague, Freya Allan and Peter Macon lead the cast in undisclosed roles, with Wes Ball (“The Maze Runner”) directing from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Patrick Aison.
Combined, the three films in the “Apes” reboot series have grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide, with the second chapter, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, having the strongest performance with $710 million grossed worldwide in 2014.
In addition to “Kingdom,” Disney also dated 20th Century’s next Agatha Christie adaptation from Kenneth Branagh, “A Haunting in Vence,” for release on Sept. 15, 2023. The follow-up to “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile” will star Branagh, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill, the latter two of whom starred in Branagh’s Oscar-winning film “Belfast.”
The Searchlight film “Chevalier” has also been dated for a release on April 7, 2023. Premiering at TIFF, “Chevalier” stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a virtuosic, Creole-born violinist and composer in 18th century France.
