New Planet Of The Apes Film In The Works From Maze Runner Director

20th Century Studios has announced that there will be a new Planet of the Apes moving heading into production in October. The film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, stars Owen Teague (It), Freya Allen (The Witcher), and Peter Macon (The Orville) and is directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy).

“Kingdom” is the start of a whole new part of the Planet of the Apes saga, that picks up many years after the conclusion of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. The screenplay is written by Josh Friedman (2005’s War of the Worlds), Apes alumni Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison (Prey).

The studio released a single image along with the announcement that shows an ape on horseback that has also learned falconry, riding over a mossy cityscape. It’s unknown how long the time jump from Kingdom to War will be, but it looks to be at least a decade.

The recent trilogy that saw the rise of ape leader Caesar, who was only mentioned and nearly deified in the original 1968 Planet of the Apes movie, gave an origin story to how the apes evolved and warred with the humans. It also gave a backstory to the character Nova, played by Linda Harrison in the original, and Amiah Miller in “War.”

“Planet of the Apes is one of the most iconic and storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of our studio’s legacy,” said Steve Asbell, president of 20th Century Studios via press release. “With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema, and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has a tentative date sometime in 2024.