Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: In theatres in May 2024; Cornelius takes charge in post-apocalyptic world

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the latest film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise and is set several years after the events of the 2017 War for the Planet of the Apes, at the end of which, Caesar, the leader of the apes, dies. The new film focuses on Caesar’s son Cornelius, now a young adult, who must strive to keep his father’s legacy alive and ensure that apes don’t exploit other primate tribes. The film is set to release in theatres worldwide on Memorial Day, May 24, 2024. Owen Teague plays Cornelius, providing the voice and motion capture for the character.

In the new teaser trailer of the film that dropped earlier today, it’s a world in which apes are the dominant species at the top of the food chain, while humans have been reduced to a feral, non-verbal existence following the Simian flu outbreak seen in the earlier movie. Cornelius’ mission is to not only to make all factions of apes aware of Caesar’s teachings and not distorted versions, but also to ensure that no primate is enslaved by another. This puts him in direct conflict with an ape leader, played by Kevin Durand, who has kept several primates and humans captive. Cornelius is joined by a young human, played by Freya Allen, on this mission.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does not have Andy Serkis on its cast. The actor had played Caesar in the three preceding films and confirmed that he will not return as the character, not even in a flashback. The film, directed by Wes Ball, also stars William H Macy, Eka Darville, Travis Jeffery, Neil Sandilands, Sara Wiseman, Lydia Peckham, Dichen Lachman and Peter Macon, among others. The film will come to Disney+Hotstar after its theatrical run.