According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox is working on a new Planet of the Apes film. The studio brought on Wes Ball, who previously directed and produced Maze Runner movies, to develop and possibly direct the next movie in this franchise. This is the first significant Fox franchise to be redeveloped after Disney acquired the studio in 2018. However, it is as yet unclear whether or not the proposed Apes film continues or reboots the latest trilogy.
The first Planet of the Apes film came out in 1968. Featuring Charlton Heston in the lead role and with a script co-written by the Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, Planet of the Apes quickly became a cult classic. Throughout the 1970s, the studio produced four sequels, a TV series, and a cartoon. After a disastrous 2001 Tim Burton reboot, Fox successfully revived the franchise in 2011 with Rupert Wyatt’s prequel Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Two other new Apes films soon followed, directed by Matt Reeves. The new Planet of the Apes trilogy was both critically acclaimed and financially successful with a joint gross of over $1,5 billion.
