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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesdirector Wes Ball feels grateful for Andy Serkis and Matt Reeves for their contribution to his work on the latest installment of the famed franchise. Serkis previously portrayed the chimpanzee Caesar, while Reeves helmedDawn of the Planet of the Apes(2014) andWar for the Planet of the Apes(2017).
Both the actor andThe Batmandirector are no longer part of the new film, but they have more input into the project than they imagined.
Andy Serkis Showed Genuine Support ForKingdom of the Planet of the Apes
During the Los Angeles premiere ofKingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directorWes BallrecalledtoThe Hollywood ReporterhowMatt Reevesoffered his support for the new film.
“I had dinner with Matt because I had known him from our movie Mouse Guard together, and I told him all these ideas we were doing. He wasliterally about to get on a plane to go do Batman, and after that dinner, I felt like we were ready to go make this movie and have the support to justgo for it.”
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Andy Serkis,on the other hand, made sure that the characters would be portrayed perfectly, sohe offered his time and effort in perusing the script and even looking at the designs.
“Caesar is very much a character in this story, he’s an important character in this story, so we wanted to verify we were getting it right. Andy is just a nice dude — he read the script, listened to me babble on about what we wanted to do with the story, showed him all the concept art, just nothing but support.”
Ball knew thatKingdom of the Planet of the Apeshad to make an impressive impact, a fresh take on the franchise but still an homage to the original films.
“He understood that we had to bekind of courageous and brave and do what we were trying to do here. When I finally showed the movie to Andy and he wrote me a very nice email and gave me the thumbs up, thatwas everything to me.”
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Of course, getting the praise of the veterans was the most essential part of the production. Ball knew he had hit the mark once Serkis gave him the seal of approval.
Wes Ball Had Doubts MakingKingdom of the Planet of the Apes
As with any franchise, Ball has no clue whether theaudiencewill appreciate themovie. He admitted trying to give it “a different set of characters, a different type of story, a different look” to set it apartfrom the others. He also shared viaComic Book:
“We tried to exist in both places. The two pillars. The Caesar trilogyand we’ve got the ‘68, and we’re trying to be somewhere in the middlebetween those two.”
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The director confessed that it was a challenge to make a fourth film aftera trilogy hadbeendone, but having more stories to tellwas whatmotivated him to push through.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesarrives in theaters on August 09, 2025.
Ariane Cruz
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3533
Ariane Cruz is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 3,000 articles published. Her love for pop culture and the creative arts fuels her passion to deliver engaging and informative stories. Her daily consumption of films, shows, and books keeps her energized for the day, along with her mission to serve as the bridge between fans and their favorite franchises.
