Filmmaker Wes Ball’s upcoming blockbuster, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, is set to hit theaters earlier than expected. Disney’s 20th Century Studios revealed on Friday that the film will now be released on May 10, a strategic move to avoid the crowded Memorial Day weekend, which includes the premieres of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Garfield Movie. The Hollywood Reporter was first to report.
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is set 300 years into the future, exploring a new civilization of just about every primate imaginable–chimpanzees, monkeys, gorillas, and orangutans have all flourished. The film will explore the aftermath of the 2017 feature, War for the Planet of the Apes, portraying multiple ape societies thriving in a world where humans have regressed to a nearly feral existence. The plot follows a quest for freedom as one ape ruler seeks to enslave others in his pursuit of human technology, while another ape forms an alliance with a young human woman to achieve a shared goal.
Cast members include Owen Teague (The Stand, Bloodline) as Noah, a young chimpanzee, and Freya Allan (The Witcher, The Third Day) as Mae, a feral human. Other ape characters include Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Proximus Caesar, Travis Jeffery (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) and Lydia Peckham (Cowboy Bebop) as Anaya and Soona, Neil Sandilands (Sweet Tooth) as Koro, and Peter Macon (Dexter) as Raka.
With the new release date, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to open against Focus Features’ Fade to Black. The fourth installment in the rebooted Apes’ franchise not only provides the movie with a two-week head start but also secures Imax screens for the first two weeks of its release.
