Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to talk about his next film, sharing new story details and insights into the film’s characters, including Proximus Caesar, and why he’s not necessarily a traditional villain.
I was actually pretty excited to watch it Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It looks like it will deliver a fun adventure film that fans of the franchise might enjoy.
The film’s story is set 300 years after the events of Matt Reeves’ War for the Planet of the Apes, bringing us much closer to the world we were first introduced to in 1968’s Planet of the Apes. Speaking of the setting of the movie, Ball said:
“Many, many generations have passed. In the time between the previous film and this film, there were these dark ages where things were lost, and in our film we’re going to rediscover them in this great adventure.”
The main character of this story is a chimpanzee named Noa, played by Owen Teague. He is the one who finds himself on this quest, and Ball describes the character as neither an adult nor a child. He explained:
“He’s on the verge of becoming what he’s going to be like an ape. It’s about him falling into these extraordinary circumstances that take him into a world he doesn’t know.”
The villain of the film is another chimpanzee named Proximus, played by Kevin Durand. Instead of focusing on Caesar’s descendants, the name “Caesar” instead became like a ceremonial title passed down from generation to generation. When talking about Proximus Caesar, Ball explains that he’s not really a traditional villain, he’s more like a Thomas Edison or Elon Musk-type antagonist:
“The interesting thing about Proximus is that, with a little help, he rediscovered electricity. To the monkeys who had forgotten about all this stuff, it’s like a magical power. So they’re experimenting with it. I don’t even think you I can call him a villain. I would call him an adversary. You understand him, you can relate to him in a way. He’s an interesting character who’s not just a mustache-twirling cutout.”
As for the direction the franchise will take from here on out, the director is moving to develop Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda film, but believes Kingdom sets the stage for a new trilogy.
“We certainly think there’s a lot more story to tell, not just in the legacy of Planet of the Apes, but in terms of these characters that we’ve created and the story arcs that we’re thinking about. So, yes, we have good ideas for what will come later.”
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be released in theaters next year on May 24th.
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
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