At the turn of the millennium, humanity was brought face-to-face with the world of the apes, beginning with the Planet of the Apes. The Mark Wahlberg starrer created waves back in 2001, laying down the foundation for a franchise that would never turn back. Even more than two decades down the lane, fans still continue to love the story. And a big testament to this is the hype around the upcoming entry in the series, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. There will be one notable absence though – the absence of Andy Serkis.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes immortalized Andy Serkis’s Caesar
The year is 2011. Rise of the Planet of the Apes has just hit the theatres. Another entrant in a story that already had a host of buyers, the flick would go on to amass over $480 million at the Box Office. But if one were to quantify the success of the movie on the basis of that metric, that would be a travesty to its success.
It soon went on to become a cult classic, going on to immortalize the character of Caesar, the leader of the Apes, a character played by Andy Serkis. The Black Panther star would go on to essay the role for three movies, culminating in Matt Reeves’ iconic War for the Planet of the Apes. That movie marked the end for the trilogy and, sadly, an end to Serkis’s arc.
Home sweet home for Andy Serkis?
Fans had begun to love Andy Serkis as Caesar. It might have been a role of an ape, but it was not short of effort and dexterity. The fact that he would never be recognized with an Oscar for his breath taking performance shall always remain a question at the top of each fans’ agenda.
No wonder fans wanted to see more of Caesar. Or more of the 13 Going on 30 star in the franchise. Many think that the death of Caesar has drawn curtains on any future association between him and the world of the apes. And that might be true. But there is no confirming, if the words of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director, Wes Ball, are anything to go by.
Wes Ball says that Andy Serkis could return to the fold for future movies
In interaction with Empire Magazine, Wes Ball revealed how a possible reunion between Andy Serkis and the franchise could very much be on the cards. About the interaction, he said,
“We talked about it, for sure. Like, ‘Could you play another ape character?’ I entertained that thought for a long time, because I thought it would be f***ing cool. And Matt [Reeves] would always say, ‘Andy is the best actor I’ve ever worked with.’ He’s just too iconic, in a way. So we decided it’s probably best to think about future movies where maybe he can come in.” (Empire Magazine)
The talk of The Lord of the Rings star returning in ‘future movies’ is all the fuel that fans need to dream of a dream return. As we all know, some dreams do come true. Only time will tell whether such a return for Serkis is really on the cards or not. But fans already have plenty to cheer with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
