Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and the Planet of the Apes franchise.

Summary

• Apes have become the dominant species after the collapse of human society due to the Simian Flu virus outbreak.
• The fourth film in the franchise brings the storyline closer to the original "Planet of the Apes" by exploring how humans became undervalued.
• "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" features a developed ape society and the potential introduction of mutants, as well as a possible origin story for the character Dr. Zaius.

The trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has dropped with huge story reveals about the reign of primates on Earth. Directed by Wes Ball, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise that began with Matt Reeves' Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and continued with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). While it's the most recent installment, it's somewhere in the middle of the Planet of the Apes timeline as far as watching the Planet of the Apes movies in chronological order.

From hints at a whole new chronicle full of world-building, to returning characters from the original Planet of the Apes, and a storyline that continues where Reeves' trilogy left off, the trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is full of exciting developments in the franchise. It's hard to believe that once it's released seven years will have gone by since the last movie, but if the trailer is any indication, it will be well worth the wait for fans. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes thunders onto screens on May 24th, 2024.

10 Apes Are The Dominant Species In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

After Caesar's death, his son, adoptive daughter Nova, and the rest of the intelligent apes manage to reach the oasis where Maurice has vowed to raise them in accordance with their father's teachings. The Human-Ape War cemented Caesar as a figure of biblical proportions within the ape community, and in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, apes have become the dominant species. After the spread of the Simian Flu in the reboot trilogy, 90% of the global population died from the virus and the subsequent collapse of society, making it infinitely easier for the apes to take over.

9 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Brings The Franchise Closer To Planet Of The Apes

Given that apes are portrayed as the dominant species in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it looks like the fourth film in the rebooted franchise will be bringing the storyline closer to Planet of the Apes, when three astronauts, perceived to be stranded on a planet where a sophisticated ape society rules over humans, are in actuality just on a futuristic Earth. Since Kingdom of the Apes is part of a new planned trilogy, it's safe to say that the three films will establish how humans became so undervalued, as well as possibly

8 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Show The Development Of Ape Society

Planet of the Apes features a sophisticated ape society broken down into a distinct class system with orangutans at the top, followed by chimps in the middle, and gorillas at the bottom. The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer shows a well-developed ape society based on simian classification as well as communication. Whereas Caesar was the most well-developed of the apes during the Reeves rebooted trilogy, now many different types of orangutans, gorillas, and chimps can speak, broken up across two distinct ape clans.

7 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Takes Place Several Generations In The Future

With a gap of a thousand years between the events of War for the Planet of the Apes and Planet of the Apes, there is space for many stories to evolve in the franchise, particularly those involving Caesar's ancestors. It can be difficult to tell exactly when Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set, but the description in the official trailer for the film explains that it's "several generations" into the future. This provides time enough to explain the origins of the ape religion of Dr. Zaius, as well as why apes covered up so much of human history, and how New York got bombed.

6 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Could Introduce The Mutants

Beneath the Planet of the Apes not only followed a society of intelligent apes but also introduced a race of intelligent mutants who lived underground. Given that the trailer shows underground tunnels and facilities, it would make sense to finally develop the mutants in this trilogy based on the Simian Flu in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. While the virus was initially made to cure Alzheimer's (as evidenced by boosting brain activity in Dr. Rodman's dad), it was only temporarily successful, and a small percentage of humans could have survived all strands of the virus while gaining psychic abilities and mutated appearances as a side effect.

5 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Features A Possible Dr. Zaius Origin Story

While it looks like Maurice, the kindly orangutan from the reboot trilogy is back in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, its far-future time period suggests that this character will actually be Dr. Zaius, a character that features prominently in Planet of the Apes. After the Ape Rebellion (and Caesar's death) in War for the Planet of the Apes, Maurice was already one of the oldest ape characters, and given that his species can only live to be 45 years old, he's probably passed on, but thanks to his compiling Caesar's Story, the teachings and tenets of the ape hero are intact for future generations of apes.

4 Nova Is All Grown Up In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Nova was an adult in the original Planet of the Apes but a mute child in Reeves' rebooted trilogy, but it looks like she's played by Freya Allan as an adult in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Nova joined the ape colony and became an adoptive daughter to Caesar, with Maurice taking over guardianship of her and Caesar's son Cornelius after Caesar died in War for the Planet of the Apes. She survived the original Simian Flu pandemic and never lost her higher reasoning capabilities like the rest of humanity during its second wave, so it's possible that she's seen here in flashbacks as a young adult.

3 Humans Live In Hiding In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

While some aspects of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer are vague, it's clear that humans live in hiding in the film. Pursued by apes as they try to gather resources, they're rounded up and put to work in labor camps if they can't escape. Just like in Planet of the Apes, humans have been reduced to a wild, feral group of hunter-gatherers while the apes have an established government and laws that provide the necessary infrastructure for their society.

2 Noa Is Sympathetic To Humans In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

While it's tempting to think that the ape narrating the opening line of dialogue in the trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is Caesar's son Cornelius, it's actually an ape named Noa. It's possible that Noa is his distant ancestor given that the film is set so many generations into the future, and the fact that he seems to be interpreting his dreams as a possible prophecy based on Caesar's teachings. Noa is seen being curious and even sympathetic to humans, and eventually discovering their underground tunnel network by accident, which appears to lead to an unlikely but amicable alliance in the face of a common threat.

1 The Apes Have Split Into Two Clans In Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes reveals that the apes have split into two clans; those who have never heard of Caesar or view his teachings as a distant memory, and those who have perverted his teachings in order to build an empire. The latter can be seen using human-inspired technology against the other in order to subjugate them, and Noa witnesses his own clan being savagely wounded. There were two different clans of apes in Planet of the Apes as well, only one of which was sympathetic to the three astronauts who landed in their midst, so this development further indicates that the film will connect to the original eventually.