New 'Planet Of The Apes' Movie In Early Development

Looks like the Apes are coming back to rule the world.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney is planning to expand the “Planet of the Apes” franchise by developing a new movie and has signed Wes Ball to don the director’s hat for the newest film in the highly successful series.

Though the talks are still at very early stages, it is unclear whether the upcoming film will be a new reboot or an extension of the previous film series.

Ball is known for directing the “Maze Runner” trilogy. The trilogy went on to earn $949 million at the global box office but garnered mixed reviews from critics. The director was also attached to the film adaptation of Boom! Comics’ “Mouse Guard” before that project was closed by Disney earlier this year.

Based on a novel of the same name, the original “Planet of the Apes” movie chronicles the journey of an astronaut who accidentally lands on a planet where an advanced ape civilization is ruling over primitive humans. But, in the end, he discovers that he is actually on planet Earth, which suffered an apocalyptic nuclear war.

A total of nine movies have been made in the franchise. The original series, which consisted of five titles, spanned over five years and was praised by audiences as well as critics. In 2001, Tim Burton directed a remake with Mark Wahlberg in the lead. The movie flopped at the box office and got unfavorable reviews at the time.

The franchise made a strong comeback in 2011 with an origin story which showcased how Apes and their leader Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, took over the U.S. The first movie in the reboot franchise, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” turned out to be a massive hit, encouraging Fox Studios to develop a trilogy.

The other two films – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” and “War for the Planet of the Apes” – fared even better at the box office and the franchise was hailed as one of the best trilogies of all time. The series accumulated more than $2 billion at the global box office.

Rupert Wyatt directed the first movie while the other two were directed by Matt Reeves.