Planet of the Apes 4 Filming Update Given By 20th Century President

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The president of 20th Century Studios has given a major update on the planned filming for the upcoming Planet of the Apes 4. The Planet of the Apes franchise began over 50 years ago with the 1968 project (based on Pierre Boulle's 1963 novel of the same name), starring Charlton Heston as part of a crew of astronauts who crash land on a planet populated by sentient apes, only to realize that they have landed on Earth in the distant future. That film spawned four theatrical sequels that ran through 1973 and a Tim Burton remake in 2001.

The franchise remained dormant for another decade until 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a rebooted prequel starring James Franco and Freida Pinto. That film, which also featured Andy Serkis as the lead ape Caesar, followed humanity's experiments on apes going wrong and starting the chain of events that would lead to the planet being ruled by apes. That film was followed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 and War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017, both of which were helmed by The Batmandirector Matt Reeves.

Related: Why Rocket & Buck Swapped Endings In Rise of the Planet of the Apes

While speaking with THR, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell shared information on a number of upcoming projects, including Planet of the Apes 4. Even though the film hasn't been heard from in quite a while, Asbell says that "we are expecting a draft very shortly." They "hope to go by the late summer, early fall" and "it’s Wes Ball attached to direct."

Although this would mark Wes Ball's first time being involved with the Apes franchise, the director is well-suited for the project in that he has an extensive background in special effects. He has previously been on the effects teams for films