By Hanna Rantala
LONDON (Reuters) – “Planet of the Apes: Reign”, the latest production in the science fiction franchise, is both a sequel and a prequel, according to director Wes Ball.
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The action film is the tenth production of “Planet of the Apes” and comes after the trilogy that restarted the series in 2011 with “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and which also includes “Planet of the Apes: Showdown”, from 2014, and “War for the Planet of the Apes”, 2017.
“They are certainly great places to occupy,” said Ball, known for the “Maze Runner” films, at the launch of the new production, in London, this Thursday.
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“We had to really decide if we had something good here. And I think we have. There’s a reason it exists, it’s not just a part four, we did a unique thing. We tried to honor what came before, with the original trilogy and also the 1968 film,” he said.
“Reign of the Planet of the Apes” takes place several generations after the events of the 2017 release and focuses on the young, naive ape Noa (Owen Teague). When his peaceful eagle-breeding clan is attacked and his family taken away, the character sets out to find them.
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Encounters with an old orangutan and the first human he ever met, Nova/Mae (Freya Allan), along the way teach Noa difficult truths about the past and have consequences for him and the future of the planet.
Actor Andy Serkis, who played the chimpanzee Caesar in the last three films, was hired as a special consultant to help the actors get closer to their characters.
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“I’m really proud to, at least a little bit, be associated with this journey and kind of pass the baton to the next generation and see them create such an incredible film,” said the actor, who is 60 years old.
The global premiere of “Reign of the Planet of the Apes” is scheduled for May 8.
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(Reporting by Hanna Rantala)
