This was released a month ago, but I didn't see it until today, so here we go! The long belated sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes finally has an estimated filming date, and even an estimated release date. 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell said in a THR interview that audiences can expect to see a new PotA movie in 2023 or 2024. When he was asked about the film, he responded, "We are expecting a draft very shortly, and it's Wes Ball attached to direct. We hope to go by the late summer, early fall."
I'll admit, I'm cautiously optimistic. War is one of my all-time favorite films, and doing a follow-up without Matt Reeves makes me wary. It doesn't help that I've never seen Wes Ball's other movies, the Maze Runner trilogy, and while I like the books, I've heard mixed reactions about the films. That being said, I'm always down for more Chernin-developed PotA stuff, and it's not like they could ruin War's ending with this new movie in any way, or even its sense of finality. Plus, Ball seems to have a fair amount of freedom with this movie, and when Reeves had such freedom we got Dawn and War, so I have hope.
Thoughts?