The Planet of the Apes franchise is heading back to the big screen, but its next chapter may not be following the path fans expected.
A new Planet of the Apes movie is officially in development at 20th Century Studios, with Matt Shakman set to direct. Shakman is coming off Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, making this another major franchise project for the filmmaker. Josh Friedman, who wrote Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and also worked with Shakman on Fantastic Four, is writing the script.
The big surprise is the direction of the story. According to Deadline, the new film is reportedly not a continuation of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Instead, it is being developed as a new original story from Shakman and Friedman. That detail has not been fully confirmed by the studio, but it immediately changes how fans may look at the future of the franchise.
That matters because Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes left plenty of story on the table. The 2024 film introduced Noa, played by Owen Teague, and Mae, played by Freya Allan, while moving the franchise generations beyond the age of Caesar. It ended with a world that felt ready for more conflict between apes and humans, especially as both sides began to rediscover pieces of the past.
Still, moving in a new direction is not out of character for this franchise. Planet of the Apes has survived for decades by reinventing itself while holding onto its core ideas: power, survival, evolution, fear, and the uneasy relationship between humans and apes. A new original story could give 20th Century Studios room to explore another corner of the timeline without being locked into Noa’s journey right away.
It also shows the studio still has confidence in the property. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes earned nearly $397.4 million worldwide, proving there is still a strong audience for this world. The film also worked as a soft reset after the Caesar trilogy, honoring what came before while introducing a new generation of characters.
No title, cast, release date, or plot details have been announced for Shakman’s film. For now, the biggest question is whether this new movie exists alongside the Kingdom storyline, replaces it, or opens up a broader future where Planet of the Apes becomes more flexible as a franchise.
Either way, the apes are not done. The next film may simply be taking a different road than expected.
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