.jpg)
Look. We have to talk about the timeline. Most people think they understand the Planet of the Apes movies, but honestly? It’s a total mess of time-traveling chimps, diverging realities, and nuclear bombs that basically reset the world every few decades. You’ve probably seen the newer ones with Andy Serkis looking incredibly realistic as Caesar. Or maybe you remember Charlton Heston screaming at a half-buried Statue of Liberty.
But how does it actually fit together?
It doesn't. Not perfectly, anyway. The franchise is split into three distinct "flavors": the original 1960s/70s pentalogy, the 2001 Tim Burton fever dream, and the modern "Caesar" reboot series that started in 2011. If you try to force them into one straight line, your brain will hurt.
The Absolute Chaos of the Original Five
In 1968, the first Planet of the Apes changed everything. It wasn't just a sci-fi flick; it was a cold-blooded social critique. Taylor, an astronaut, crashes on a planet where apes talk and humans are mute cattle. Then comes the twist. He’s on Earth. He’s just 2,000 years late.
Then things got weird.
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) ends with Taylor literally blowing up the entire planet. Talk about a dead end.
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) fixed this by having three apes—Cornelius, Zira, and Milo—hop in Taylor’s repaired ship and go back in time to 1973 Los Angeles.
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) jumps to 1991. Cats and dogs are dead from a space plague. Humans now use apes as slaves. Caesar (the son of the time-travelers) leads a bloody revolt.
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) tries to find a "peaceful" ending where humans and apes coexist.
It’s a loop. Or a spiral. By going back in time, the apes from the future actually caused the future they came from. Sorta. It’s the ultimate "chicken or the egg" scenario, but with more hairy prosthetics.
🔗 Read more: Donnalou Stevens Older Ladies: Why This Viral Anthem Still Hits Different
Why the Planet of the Apes Movies Reboot Worked
Fast forward to 2011. People were skeptical. Rise of the Planet of the Apes ditched the time travel and the rubber masks. Instead, we got the Simian Flu.
Honestly, it’s a much scarier premise. A scientist, Will Rodman (James Franco), is just trying to cure Alzheimer’s. He creates ALZ-112, which makes apes smart but turns out to be a death sentence for humans. This is where the Planet of the Apes movies found their soul again. We watched Caesar grow up. We saw his heart break. By the time he's shouting "NO!" in that rainy animal shelter, you're 100% on the side of the chimps.
The trilogy that followed—Dawn (2014) and War (2017)—is arguably one of the best sci-fi runs in cinema history. Directed largely by Matt Reeves, these films aren't just about monkeys with guns. They’re about the tragedy of two species that both have a right to exist but can't figure out how to share a dying world.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: A New Era
The most recent entry, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), takes us way further into the future. Caesar is long dead. He’s a legend now. Some apes follow his teachings of "Ape Not Kill Ape," while others, like the tyrant Proximus Caesar, twist those words to build an empire.
Noa, our new hero, doesn't even know what a "human" really is. To him, they're just "echoes." This movie resets the stakes. It’s not about the fall of man anymore; that happened centuries ago. It’s about what kind of civilization the apes will build on the ashes.
💡 You might also like: Donna Summer Endless Summer Greatest Hits: What Most People Get Wrong
Interestingly, there’s a persistent rumor about where this is all going. Director Wes Ball has hinted that this is the start of a new trilogy. We’re currently in 2026, and word is that the next installment is eyeing a 2027 or 2028 release. The goal? To eventually bridge the gap and loop back to the 1968 original.
How to Actually Watch Them
Don't overthink it. If you want the "real" story as it stands today, stick to the modern path:
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): The origin of the virus.
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): The first major clash.
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017): The end of the human era.
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024): The "Middle Ages" of ape society.
If you’re a completionist, go back to the '68 original after Kingdom. It’ll make the technological gap feel like the passage of thousands of years, which is exactly the point.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore or prep for the upcoming sequels, here’s how to get the most out of the franchise.
Watch for the Easter Eggs
The modern films are littered with nods to the 1968 classic. In Rise, keep an eye out for a news report about the "Icarus" spaceship going missing—that’s Taylor’s ship. In Kingdom, look for the "Forbidden Zone" markers and the use of the name Nova. These aren't just coincidences; they are breadcrumbs leading to a unified timeline.
📖 Related: Do You Believe in Love: The Song That Almost Ended Huey Lewis and the News
Explore the Extended Media
The movies don't tell the whole story. There are several comic book runs from BOOM! Studios that bridge the gap between Rise and Dawn, explaining how the Simian Flu spread globally and how different ape colonies formed outside of San Francisco.
Monitor Production Updates
As of early 2026, 20th Century Studios has confirmed development on the Kingdom sequel. Stay tuned to trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter or Deadline rather than fan blogs for concrete casting news. We're expecting a production start date later this year if they want to hit that 2027 window.
Revisit the Original Novel
If you want to see where the "DNA" of the series really came from, read Pierre Boulle's 1963 book La Planète des Singes. It's very different from the movies—the apes have cars, planes, and advanced cities—but it provides a fascinating perspective on the "satire" that defined the early films.
The Planet of the Apes movies succeed because they hold up a mirror. Whether it’s 1968 or 2026, the question remains the same: If we lost it all tomorrow, would the next guys do any better? Based on what we've seen from Proximus Caesar, the answer is a resounding "maybe not."