The new film is the 10th instalment in the long-running franchise.
There are few film franchises around that have stood the test of time as well as the Planet of the Apes series.
Since the groundbreaking first film was released more than half a century ago, there have been a further nine entries, most of which have been received well by both fans and critics – with the notable exception of Tim Burton’s panned 2001 remake starring Mark Wahlberg.
The most recent instalment, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – which has just arrived in UK cinemas to mostly strong reviews – is the first since 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, which rounded out the prequel trilogy starring Andy Serkis as Caesar.
The film introduces a new bunch of apes, as well as a human character played by The Witcher‘s Freya Allan – but how exactly does it fit into the pre-established timeline? Read on for everything you need to know.
When is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes set? Timeline explained
Although it is not specified exactly what year Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set in, the new film takes place several generations (roughly 300 years) after the events of the Caesar trilogy – which took place in what was then the present day.
That means that the film is set at some point between the events of War for the Planet of the Apes and the original Planet of the Apes that kicked off the franchise back in 1968, with apes now very much the dominant species and humans few and far between, reduced to hiding in the shadows.
In the film, the apes have sorted themselves out into much more advanced clans and kingdoms than was the case at end of the previous trilogy, although they are not yet quite at the level of civilisation we saw in the original run of films.
Furthermore, many of the apes, especially the youngest generations, are now completely unfamiliar with the planet’s history – and what humans used to represent.
“It’s been described as a new beginning, you know,” director Wes Ball explained in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. “And that weird time period… that time jump allows for that, because so much has been lost to time… just the ravages of time.”
He added: “Our main character is a very naive kind of innocent character who, you know, has his eyes opened to a world he never knew existed. And that’s part of his journey – it’s one of discovery.”
Meanwhile, although the film takes place many years after Caesar’s death, that character’s impact is still keenly felt, with the various interpretations – and indeed misinterpretations – of his legacy the key theme of the film.
“It was fun to play with [that theme],” Ball said. “And that time period thing was a big part of that – as he became myth and legend, what becomes truth? Stories ultimately will last longer than truth, you know what I mean?”
The film also leaves plenty of room for more entries between its end and the beginning of the first film – and Ball has already expressed an interesting in filling in more of that gap.
For a more detailed look at the timeline of the film, you can read our guide for how to watch the Planet of the Apes films in order or check out the video below.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is released in UK cinemas on Thursday 9th May 2024.