Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Movies | Tagged: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, planet of the apes

New Planet Of The Apes Film Taps Matt Shakman To Direct

20th Century Studios has reportedly tapped Matt Shakman and Josh Friedman to direct and write, respectively, a new Planet of the Apes film.

Published Wed, 06 May 2026 23:52:09 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

20th Century Studios is moving ahead with a new Planet of the Apes film, with Matt Shakman set to direct and produce.
Josh Friedman is writing the new Planet of the Apes movie, with franchise producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver aboard.
Reports say the Planet of the Apes project will tell a new original story rather than continue 2024’s Kingdom directly.
The new Planet of the Apes film may stay in the same universe while shifting to new characters, locations, and conflicts.

20th Century Studios has some big IPs we all knew would return, and the Planet of the Apes films are absolutely one of them. The previous trilogy of films really elevated the entire franchise to another level, and everyone thought there was no possible way that the next film in the series, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, could ever measure up. However, here's the thing, when you put the right people in front of and behind the camera, almost anything can come together well and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was an excellent little entry into a series that had some seriously big shoes to fill.

It was clear by the end that there was still more story to tell in this timeline, and it appears we are getting more of it. According to Deadline, 20th Century has tapped director Matt Shakman and writer Josh Friedman, both of whom are coming off The Fantastic Four: First Steps, to take on another entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Shakman will also produce, along with producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who also worked on the script with Friedman.

Promotional collage for a Planet of the Apes feature, with three ape characters in a dramatic shoreline scene above two smiling men at a public event below. — L-R: (L-R): Raka (played by Peter Macon), Noa (played by Owen Teague), and Freya Allan as Nova in 20th Century Studios' KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2024 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 21: Matt Shakman attends The Fantastic Four: First Steps World Premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on July 21, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney) 2025 Getty Images | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 21: Josh Friedman attends The Fantastic Four: First Steps World Premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on July 21, 2025. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for Disney) 2025 Getty Images

At the moment, we don't have any concrete details about the film, but Deadline's sources have some hints about what we can expect. It sounds like the film "will mark a return to the planet where apes are the superior species ruling all," and despite that open-ended ending with the previous film, sources are saying, " will not be a continuation of the most recent pic, 2024's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but a new original story that Shakman and Friedman are developing." So maybe the same timeline and universe, but set in a different location and featuring different characters? It's not the worst idea for another film, and rendering these to be more anthology films rather than a continuous story allows different writers and directors the opportunity to step in and tell their own stories.

However, that also means you don't get to have any major cliffhangers, either. You can either go the anthology route and tell one-off stories, or you get cliffhangers leading into new films, but you don't get both. Right now, it sounds like they are trying for both with this new Planet of the Apes, but as always, it's all a guessing game this early on.

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