Every Single Planet Of The Apes Movie (In Chronological Order)

Summary

• The
  Planet of the Apes
  movies have a complex timeline that spans from the original 1968 film to the upcoming
  Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
  in 2024.
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
  (2011) is the first film in the modern reboot trilogy, and the first movie chronologically.
• 1968’s
  Planet of the Apes
  arrives in the middle of the franchise’s timeline, despite being the first movie released.

From the original Charlton Heston films to the modern prequels, the Planet of the Apes movies have a complex timeline — one made even more intricate by an ill-fated 2001 Tim Burton project and the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Based on French author Pierre Boulle’s novel Le Planete des singes, the original 1968 Planet of the Apes ranks among the most iconic science fiction films of all time. Across several sequels and reboots, the Planet of the Apes movies have built a continual timeline, though the chronological order doesn’t match the order of release.

There are ten Planet of the Apes movies in the timeline so far, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes as the most recent, arriving in 2024. The original Planet of the Apes movies told the story of a future Earth where apes are civilized and humans devolved into a feral state. However, the 2011 reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes went back in time to show how apes became the dominant species. The Planet of the Apes movies in chronological order journey from apocalyptic virus survival action to conceptual sci-fi, covering several decades of filmmaking.

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Related Planet Of The Apes: All Movie Timelines Explained

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Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)

Caesar Leads A Rebellion

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A prequel and reboot to the Planet of the Apes franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes stars James Franco as pharmaceutical chemist Will Rodman. While working with apes, Rodman befriends Caesar (Andy Serkis), a particularly intelligent chimpanzee. Not all humans are as gentle with the apes as Rodman, however, and Caesar is destined to start the line of super-intelligent apes that will one day inherit the Earth.

Release Date August 5, 2011 Director Rupert Wyatt Cast James Franco , Andy Serkis , Tom Felton , John Lithgow Runtime 105 Minutes

The first film of the rebooted trilogy is the first of the Planet of the Apes movies in order based on the history of its timeline. Rise gave a unique spin on the Planet of the Apes movie series as it focuses on an ape named Caesar who, after having his intelligence augmented through science experiments, leads an ape rebellion while releasing a virus that brings humanity to its knees.

Critics gave the film positive reviews, praising the performances and screenplay, while the movie got an Oscar nomination for its visual effects.

One of the greatest aspects of this trilogy that started in Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the motion capture technology for Andy Serkis to play the protagonist, Caesar, creating a digital character who felt easy to connect with emotionally and lead the story without relying on the human characters. Critics gave the film positive reviews, praising the performances and screenplay, while the movie got an Oscar nomination for its visual effects.

Related 6 Biggest Differences Between Planet Of The Apes’ Reboot Timeline & The Original Movies

The modern Planet of the Apes franchise re-imagines many elements of the original series, and makes some big changes to them.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

The Uneasy Coexistence Between Apes And The Remaining Humans

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The second film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise and the sequel to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes follows Caesar after he has established his own ape territory independent of humanity. After a pandemic drastically reduces the human population, the global power dynamic begins to shift in the apes’ favor. Andy Serkis reprises his role as Caesar, with Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, and Judy Greer all appearing in supporting roles.  

Release Date July 11, 2014 Director Matt Reeves Cast Keri Russell , Andy Serkis , Judy Greer , Gary Oldman , Kirk Acevedo , Jason Clarke Runtime 2h 11m

2014’s sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, titled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, is the next movie chronologically in the Planet of the Apes timeline. The motion capture technology also continued to improve. While the apes may not have been exactly lifelike, their performances felt real, which was essential as the human characters became less of the focus in this world.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set 10 years after the outbreak of Simian Flu. The human population has been decimated since only 1 in 500 are immune. This sequel showed the ape population continuing to grow more organized and self-aware, while the human population drew closer to extinction. Matt Reeves stepped into the director’s chair for the sequel and delivered an action-packed movie with emotional nuance that pushed the franchise forward.

War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)

Humanity’s Last Stand Against The Apes

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War for the Planet of the Apes is an action-adventure movie directed by Matt Reeves and is a sequel to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In the film, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his mythic quest to avenge his kind.

Release Date July 14, 2017 Director Matt Reeves Cast Judy Greer , Steve Zahn , Mercedes de la Zerda , Max Lloyd-Jones , Woody Harrelson , Alessandro Juliani , Amiah Miller , Terry Notary , Andy Serkis , Aleks Paunovic , Ty Olsson , Devyn Dalton , Gabriel Chavarria Runtime 140 Minutes

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The final film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy was regarded by some as the best of the franchise. This film’s absolute mastery helped cement Matt Reeves’ Planet of the Apes movies as one of the greatest trilogies in both the sci-fi genre and in film history. Serkis continues to impress with his motion-capture portrayal of Caesar as a burdened leader and Moses figure, leading to a campaign to make him the first actor nominated for an Oscar in a motion-capture role.

It served as a poignant and exciting end to the story of Caesar while also seeing the end of humankind’s time as the dominant species on the planet.

While Serkis’s work didn’t get the award recognition some were hoping for, it served as a poignant and exciting end to the story of Caesar while also seeing the end of humankind’s time as the dominant species on the planet. There is also less of a time jump between War for the Planet of the Apes and the previous movie, with only two years passing since the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, as opposed to the decade that passed between the first and second films in the trilogy.

Kingdom Of The Planet of the Apes (2024)

The Ape Population Is Divided After Caesar

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Set several years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next installment in the Apes saga. Ape clans have taken up residence in the oasis that Caesar sought to colonize, but humans have reverted to their animalistic nature in their absence. Now battling between enslavement and freedom, outliers in the Ape clans will take sides in a newly burgeoning society.

Release Date May 10, 2024 Director Wes Ball Cast Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands Distributor(s) 20th Century

In 2024, Matt Reeves’ Planet of the Apes franchise gets a sequel in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The movie moves into the future, with The Maze Runner director Wes Ball replacing Reeves behind the camera. The lead character also changes to Noa (Owen Teague), an ape living generations after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes. Noa will be fleeing a new tyrannical leader who is perverting the teachings of Caesar.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes also sees humans reverting to a more feral state while the apes have split up into different clans across the oasis, placing this right before the original franchise when watching the Planet of the Apes movies in timeline order. Of all the modern Planet of the Apes so far, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the first one where Earth is starting to resemble the future Charlton Heston’s George Taylor arrives at in the 1968 original.

However, the movie also features a human character, Mae, who is more intelligent than the rest of the humans, showing that there are still factions of humanity holding onto some semblance of civilization and fighting to take back what they lost. The movie ends with a hint of humans around the world finding a way to reconnect.

Planet Of The Apes (2001)

The Ill-Fated Remake Of The 1968 Original

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In 2029, Leo Davidson ventures through a space-time storm to rescue his chimp friend, landing on Ashlar, a world ruled by talking apes. With newfound allies, he uncovers his spacecraft’s fate and sparks a revolt against ape tyranny. Saved by his chimp companion, Leo returns to Earth, but discovers a deeply disturbing reality.

Release Date July 27, 2001 Director Tim Burton Cast Mark Wahlberg , Tim Roth , Helena Bonham Carter , Paul Giamatti , Michael Clarke Duncan , Kris Kristofferson Runtime 120 Mins

The Tim Burton-directed reboot of the Planet of the Apes movies had a lot of hype going into it. However, this Mark Wahlberg-starring film was a critical disaster with many calling it the worst of the franchise. Although many technical aspects such as the makeup of the apes received praise, critics complained that the actual storytelling of this movie was left wanting.

Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes had a unique and clever ending twist that did a great job of living up to the original without copying it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save this movie, and it ended any chance of further movies for a full decade. To date, it remains the only Planet of the Apes movie set outside of the official timeline and can be skipped when watching in chronological order.

Related Why Tim Burton’s Planet Of The Apes Never Got A Sequel

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Planet Of The Apes (1968)

The Strange Planet Ruled By Humans Is Discovered By An Outsider

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George Taylor, an astronaut, finds himself on a strange planet ruled by apes after his spaceship crashes. In this topsy-turvy world, apes are the intelligent rulers while humans are mute and oppressed. Captured and held in captivity, Taylor’s struggle for survival leads him to an alliance with Zira and Cornelius, two chimpanzee scientists who recognize his intelligence. As Taylor uncovers the dark secrets of this civilization, he faces shocking revelations that challenge everything he knows about his own species and their future.

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Release Date April 3, 1968 Director Franklin J. Schaffner Cast Charlton Heston , Roddy McDowall , Kim Hunter , Maurice Evans , James Whitmore , James Daly , Linda Harrison , Robert Gunner Runtime 112 Minutes

In the original Planet of the Apes movie, released in 1968, Charlton Heston stars as astronaut George Taylor, who lands on a strange planet. Taylor is horrified to find out that this planet is actually ruled by an extremely intelligent race of apes. Humans, on the other hand, have a seriously diminished mental capacity and simply serve as animals and pets of their ape overlords. While this was the first movie made in the franchise, it took place later in the Planet of the Apes’ timeline.

The iconic
Planet of the Apes
twist ending revealing that Taylor was not on an alien planet, but rather a post-apocalyptic Earth, set up the franchise

The iconic Planet of the Apes twist ending revealing that Taylor was not on an alien planet, but rather a post-apocalyptic Earth set up the franchise to later explore how the world became ruled by apes. This film won several impressive awards, including winning an honorary Oscar for outstanding makeup achievement. The Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry in 2001.

Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)

An Astronaut Explores The Planet To Find His Missing Colleagues

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Astronaut Brent’s quest to locate his missing comrade Taylor leads him to a dystopian future Earth where intelligent apes reign supreme. While searching for Taylor, Brent stumbles upon a hidden society of telepathic mutants living beneath the planet’s surface. These mutants, who idolize a doomsday nuclear weapon, pose a significant threat to the apes.

Release Date May 26, 1970 Director Ted Post Cast James Franciscus , Kim Hunter , Maurice Evans , Linda Harrison , Paul Richards , Victor Buono Writers Pierre Boulle , Paul Dehn , Mort Abrahams

The follow-up to the original 1968 classic was 1970’s Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Compared to the original, Beneath the Planet of the Apes did not come close to achieving the same level of success or cultural impact. Starring James Franciscus with Charlton Heston returning in a supporting role, it failed to capture what the first film was all about. The movie is a direct sequel to the original with it focusing on another spacecraft arriving and going in search of Taylor (Heston).

Although it was a success at the box office, Beneath the Planet of the Apes was lambasted by critics. Many of the sequel’s detractors described it as childish and lacking the interesting storytelling of the original. However, its success was key to the franchise continuing on and building on the timeline.

Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)

Apes Time-Travel To Explore The History Of Their Planet

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The third movie of the franchise released in as many years, Escape from the Planet of the Apes was the most critically acclaimed of the original Planet of the Apes movies outside the initial 1968 film. While the original movie showed Taylor traveling from the present to the eponymous Planet of the Apes, in this movie the characters Cornelius and Zira used his spaceship to travel back in time to 1973.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes
did the job better than any of the other original sequels of replicating what made the original so well received

Escape from the Planet of the Apes did the job better than any of the other original sequels of replicating what made the original so well received, despite the fact it arguably switched up the formula the most. Reversing the situation by sending the apes to the past was a clever twist that kept the franchise interesting. This time travel also meant that part of the movie was actually earlier in the Planet of the Apes timeline than the two previous movies.

Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)

The First Version Of Caesar’s Rebellion

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Conquest of the Planet of the Apes PG

Release Date June 30, 1972 Cast Roddy McDowall , Ricardo Montalban , Severn Darden , Don Murray , Hari Rhodes Writers Paul Dehn , Pierre Boulle

The third sequel to the original movie, 1972’s Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, shows the rise of Caesar, who is a sort of mythological figure and savior who is said to bring about the actual Planet of the Apes. In this new world of 1991, a space-borne illness wiped out cats and dogs, leading to apes becoming humans’ new pets of choice. Hoping to begin a movement and lead a revolution to free the apes, Caesar frees numerous apes and begins a plan to free more.

It’s an intriguing entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise, serving as a prequel to the 1968 original while also introducing multiple new concepts of its own. While Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was quite original in its story, it was very average in its execution. It had minimal critical or box office success. The retelling of Caesar’s rebellion in the later movies helped to make him a more iconic character.

Related Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ New Ruler Is Caesar’s Worst Nightmare

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Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)

Caesar Seeks A Peace With Humans

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Battle for the Planet of the Apes G

Release Date June 15, 1973 Cast Roddy McDowall , Severn Darden , John Huston , Claude Akins , Natalie Trundy , Lew Ayres Writers Pierre Boulle , Paul Dehn , John William Corrington

The final film when watching the Planet of the Apes movies in chronological order, 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes, showed Caesar and his forces finally winning their freedom. Humanity has been all but destroyed by nuclear war, and the impact this has had on the planet creates a situation of scarcity. However, apes reign supreme and have enslaved the remaining humans. Toward the end of the movie, Caesar decides to end the vicious cycle and spare the humans. Instead, the two races live together as equals.

The poor reception of the movie would end the franchise for several decades until it was attempted to be revitalized with the 2001 remake.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes was the lowest-grossing film in the entire series. Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert described the film as “the last gasp of a dying series.” Indeed, the poor reception of the movie would end the franchise for several decades until it was attempted to be revitalized with the 2001 remake.

What The Future Of Planet Of The Apes Looks Like

There Has Been No Confirmation On The Next Planet Of The Apes Movie

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While there has been no official confirmation about the future of the Planet of the Apes franchise, following its box office success, it seems likely a sequel to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is on its way. While the latest movie works as a standalone story, it also sets up so many interesting avenues to explore in the future. The most exciting possibility is to continue to explore the relationship between Noa and Mae.

As one of the few surviving humans left, Mae sees apes as enemies who need to be destroyed, but she is clearly conflicted with the compassion and kindness she sees in Noa. It would be fascinating to see these two continue to lead their respective civilizations and contend with whether they can live in harmony or must ignite another war. With Noa as the new leader of the Eagle Clan, it will also be fun to see them becoming more technologically advanced over time.

There is also the common question of whether the prequel series will ever lead to the events of the original Planet of the Apes. This would essentially mean there would be another remake of the classic sci-fi movie. While there are some fans who would love to see that, the Planet of the Apes timeline still has so many more stories it could tell before it reaches that point.

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