Summary
- Director Wes Ball discussed the possibility of Andy Serkis returning to the Planet of the Apes franchise.
- Since the new movie is set 300 years after the events of the prequel trilogy, Serkis will have to play a new character.
- Serkis could potentially play legacy characters such as Colonel George Taylor, Armando, or Dr. Cornelius in future Planet of the Apes installments.
All hail Caesar! In this case, Caesar is, of course, the main character in the Planet of the Apes trilogy, in which the three films (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes) were released between 2011 and 2017. During this time, actor Andy Serkis brought the poignant protagonist to life thanks to his unforgettable voice and motion-captured performance. And the director of the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Wes Ball, hasn’t ruled out the return of Serkis. And he even considered bringing Serkis back for this project. Ball said during an interview in the latest issue of Empire magazine (per Slash Film):
“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.”
Since The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Serkis will have to lend his voice and acting talents to a new character. One would assume Serkis would play one of the evolved apes again, but there’s always the possibility the thespian could be utilized as one of the humans — perhaps, an OG character made popular when the original films kicked off the 55-year-old franchise.
Legacy Characters Andy Serkis Could Play
Since the most recent trilogy of movies in the Planet of the Apes franchise are prequels, which are catching up chronologically to the original motion pictures, Wes Ball could cast Andy Serkis in a future film as Colonel George Taylor. Taylor was portrayed by Hollywood heavyweight Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes (1968) and briefly in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970). And it would take a thespian of equal stature to bring such an iconic character back to the Silver Screen. It’s a human role rather than one of the intelligent apes, so that’s definitely one way Ball could go if he wanted to mix things up when bringing Serkis back into the fold.
Another human role that certainly deserves to be explored again is that of the kindhearted Armando who appeared in Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). Again, Serkis would have the opportunity to fill the shoes of the larger-than-life actor who portrayed Armando, Ricardo Montalbán, who is undoubtedly best known for portraying Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek and Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island.
Ultimately, though, there’s one of the evolved apes that seems tailor-made for Serkis should he return to take up the mantle of an OG Planet of the Apes’ character. And that is none other than Dr. Cornelius, who showed up in the original Planet of the Apes (1968) alongside Heston’s George Taylor. The incomparable Roddy McDowall brought the doctor to life, and it seems only fitting that Serkis should play the heroic archaeologist and historian.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on May 24, 2024. And fans can check out some concept art and images from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes right now.
