Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a sequel to 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes and the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise. Directed by Wes Ball the movie stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, and William H. Macy. The movie reportedly has a connection to James Cameron’s widely popular and successful movie Avatar.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ development started in 2019 after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and reportedly major part of the script was written during the pandemic. The filming wrapped up last year in February and is all set to release in May 2024. But fans have been curious about its connection with Avatar.
Wes Ball took his sweet time with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to give Apes a ‘real feel’
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is one of the highly awaited movies of 2024 and director Wes Ball is excited to present his work to the audience. But in conversation with Collider, the director had revealed that they took their sweet time for the movie because for him the key was to employ the best CGI and visual effects against the background of the greenery.
Wes Ball wanted to make the environment of the movie look and feel real similar to how Pandora feels on Avatar. He however did acknowledge that it was a challenge to get it all together as they weren’t quite on the same level of budget as James Cameron’s Avatar. He said,
“I wanted to go back to that lush, beautiful world that underneath is haunted with the remains of our existence. We wanted to consciously go there. You want to go visit this world. I said before, can we make this little bit more like Avatar? We can’t reach that far out. I’m not James Cameron. I don’t have hundreds of millions of dollars. But can we make a movie where it’s like I want to go explore that.”
Wes Ball noted that they have tried to be as honest as they could with the movie adding that there would be no glass on the buildings but mentioned that there is a lot of stuff going on. He also added that they did not do The Mandalorian 3D all-encompassing volume but instead opted for mocap volume.
“Volume has become The Mandalorian 3D screen stage so now it’s confusing. It’s not that. WE didn’t do any of that stuff. We basically shot on location as you can see there or it’s full CG.”
Ball lastly added that they are closer to Avatar compared to what The Mandalorian is doing. Owen Teague plays the lead character in the movie.
Fans have favorable reactions to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ VFX
Fans across the world who have been waiting for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ release have had positive reactions upon hearing the director talk about the CG and VFX used for the movie. One of the users mentioned, ‘Excellent, so it won’t look like a Disney Plus Show,’ with another added that the movie might be the movie of the decade.
Excellent, so it won't look like a Disney Plus show 💪🏾
— John Smith 🇺🇲 (@JohnSmithNew2) February 13, 2024
Kingdom of the planet of the apes may as well be the movie of the decade.
— Stanley tamz (@StanleyTamz) February 13, 2024
The reason why fans are thrilled with the director comparing the CG and VFX to that of Avatar is because James Cameron’s movie outshines the VFX compared to any movie. Especially with Marvel’s VFX’s qualities degrading, Wes Ball’s attempt to come out of the ‘Marvel Trap’ and take his own sweet time to come close to Avatar is welcomed by the fans. A user stated that the movie might be interesting especially with now its comparison with Avatar.
It’s looks good
— Purp? (@purpyisgreat) February 13, 2024
Thats really good. I like when a movie like these actually care to shoot on location, take time for vfx and make sure its a spectacle on the big screen
— Sam (@samk0006) February 13, 2024
no wonder, it looks like an actual movie
— 𝕥𝕜 (@raharuburneracc) February 13, 2024
A movie enthusiast wrote that they are definitely watching this movie because they loved Caesar’s trilogy and they wonder if just like Avatar, Disney will give Planet of the Apes land in Animal Kingdom. Another user mentioned that the combination of the two brings a sense of authenticity and skillful execution, which can be seen, in the seamless integration of the environment. A lot of comments from the fans came with enthusiasm for the movie being shot on location and looking real, which is what Wes Ball, hoped for.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released on May 10th, 2024.
