Matt Shakman to Direct New Planet of the Apes Film

20th Century Studios has tapped director Matt Shakman to helm a new Planet of the Apes film, marking a fresh chapter for the long-running science fiction franchise.

Shakman, known for directing Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the Disney+ series WandaVision, will also produce the untitled project alongside producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who have worked on multiple entries in the series. Josh Friedman, who wrote Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and co-wrote First Steps, is penning the script. According to studio sources, the film will feature an original story set in the Planet of the Apes universe but will not continue the narrative from the 2024 release Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the latest installment following the 2011 reboot trilogy centered on ape leader Caesar, earned $397 million worldwide. It received positive reviews from critics and audiences but marked the lowest-grossing film in the modern era of the franchise, which has collectively surpassed $1.7 billion at the global box office. Initially positioned as the start of a new trilogy, a sequel had been scheduled for 2027,...