24 Aug – 20th Century is serious about its "Planet of the Apes" franchise, and has now found the lead in its upcoming new series of films.
Not much is known about the latest instalment, with the studio keeping mum on the plot details. The only thing that had been reported was that Ball has delivered a script to the studio early this summer. The original movie, released in 1968, is based on a novel by French writer Pierre Boulle. It stars Charlton Heston as an astronaut who lands on a planet with an advanced ape civilisation, only to find out it is Earth. A remake starring Mark Wahlberg was made in 2001, though it was the 2011 revamp of the franchise through its origin story "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" that became an instant hit with fans, spawning two more movies, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014) and "War for the Planet of the Apes" (2017).