All hail Caesar! In this case, Caesar is, of course, the main character in thePlanet of the Apestrilogy, in which the three films (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes) were released between 2011 and 2017. During this time, actor Andy Serkis brought the poignant protagonist to life thanks to his unforgettable voice and motion-captured performance. And the director of the upcomingKingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Wes Ball, hasn’t ruled out the return of Serkis. And he even considered bringing Serkis back for this project. Ball said during an interview in the latest issue of Empire magazine (perSlash Film):
“We talked about it, for sure. Like, ‘Could you play another ape character?’ I entertained that thought for a long time because I thought it would be f—ing cool. And Matt [Reeves] would always say, ‘Andy is the best actor I’ve ever worked with’ […] He’s just too iconic, in a way. So, we decided it’s probably best to think about future movies where maybe he can come in.”
SinceThe Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis set 300 years after the events ofWar for the Planet of the Apes, Serkis will have to lend his voice and acting talents to a new character. One would assume Serkis would play one of the evolved apes again, but there’s always the possibility the thespian could be utilized as one of the humans — perhaps, an OG character made popular when the original films kicked off the 55-year-old franchise.
Related:Why Continuing the Planet of the Apes Franchise Is Actually a Good Idea
Legacy Characters Andy Serkis Could Play
Since the most recent trilogy of movies in thePlanet of the Apesfranchise are prequels, which are catching up chronologically to the original motion pictures, Wes Ball could castAndy Serkisin a future film as Colonel George Taylor. Taylor was portrayed by Hollywood heavyweight Charlton Heston inPlanet of the Apes(1968) and briefly inBeneath the Planet of the Apes(1970). And it would take a thespian of equal stature to bring such an iconic character back to the Silver Screen. It’s a human role rather than one of the intelligent apes, so that’s definitely one way Ball could go if he wanted to mix things up when bringing Serkis back into the fold.
Another human role that certainly deserves to be explored again is that of the kindhearted Armando who appeared inEscape From thePlanet of the Apes(1971) andConquest of the Planet of the Apes(1972). Again, Serkis would have the opportunity to fill the shoes of the larger-than-life actor who portrayed Armando, Ricardo Montalbán, who is undoubtedly best known for portraying Khan Noonien Singh inStar Trekand Mr. Roarke onFantasy Island.
Ultimately, though, there’s one of the evolved apes that seems tailor-made for Serkis should he return to take up the mantle of an OGPlanet of the Apes’character. And that is none other than Dr. Cornelius, who showed up in the originalPlanet of the Apes(1968) alongside Heston’s George Taylor. The incomparable Roddy McDowall brought the doctor to life, and it seems only fitting that Serkis should play the heroic archaeologist and historian.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesopens in theaters on July 08, 2025. And fans can check out some concept art andimages fromKingdom of the Planet of the Apesright now.
