After spending two seasons of Netflix’s The Witcher traveling across the Continent with Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan is about to embark on a new journey with a completely different set of companions. Deadline brings word that Allan has booked a major role in 20th Century Studios’ next Planet of the Apes film. The studio also confirmed that the movie’s official title is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Disney began developing a new Planet of the Apes movie shortly after acquiring 20th Century Fox’s entertainment assets in 2019. However, it wasn’t until last month that the cast finally began to take shape. Owen Teague will star as the lead primate, filling the void left by Andy Seriks’ Caesar, who headlined the previous three Apes installments. Peter Macon (The Orville) has a role in the movie as well. Character details are scarce, but Allan is confirmed to be playing a human. Apparently, the role was highly sought after by many of Hollywood’s rising stars. But Allan was able to clinch the part after a “long” audition process involving multiple screen tests.
Wes Ball signed on to direct Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in 2019 and has continued to stress that the film isn’t being developed as a reboot of the franchise. Instead, the story takes place in the same universe as Serkis’ movies, which were directed by Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves. In addition to revealing the title, 20th Century also shared a first look at concept art from the film. The image shows an ape on horseback overlooking a post-apocalyptic cityscape. You can check it out for yourself below.
RELATED: Owen Teague Will Star in the Next Planet of the Apes Movie
Allan recently wrapped production on The Witcher season 3, which will premiere on Netflix next summer. Her most significant film credit thus far is Netflix’s Gunpowder Milkshake, so Kingdom should offer a major signal boost to her acting career. Allan also recurred in the HBO miniseries The Third Day in 2020.
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who co-wrote Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its first sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, are also working on the script for Kingdom with Josh Friedman (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Patrick Aison (Prey). Jaffa and Silver are producing the film as well alongside Joe Hartwick Jr. and Jason Reed. Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping will executive produce.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters in 2024. Production will get underway sometime next month.
How do you feel about Allan joining the film’s cast? What do you think of the official title? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Planet of the Apes Omnibus
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