This week, fans of the Planet of the Apes franchise were treated to an epic Super Bowl trailer from the upcoming entry from the series. As Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes inches a bit closer to the time period that the original movie was set in, CinemaBlend talked with the movie’s new star about his thoughts on the movie that started it all.
When I spoke to Owen Teague, who got to ride horses in a mo-cap suit through the Australian wilderness as a teen ape named Noa, I shared my own core memory of seeing 1968’s Planet of the Apes when I was a kid. I was rather terrified to see a world run by apes, and he could relate, sharing this:
I think my first memories of the franchise were also seeing the [1968 version] and being just so scared by it. I think that for some reason that everybody’s memory of that movie is seeing it when they probably were too young to see it and being horrified. And, I watched it a couple months ago and I was like, ‘Oh, this really isn’t that intense. Like this is a pretty chill movie. But there is still something about it that’s a little bit unnerving and I don’t know, maybe it’s like the ape costumes, maybe it’s Charlton Heston’s teeth. I don’t know.
As Teague explained, he finds that it’s a common experience among fans of the franchise to have experienced the film at a time when they “probably too young” considering that was his first relationship with the franchise as well. However, when he recently watched the movie as a 25-year-old who is now part of the Planet of the Apes movies himself, he didn’t find it as scary. That being said, he gave a few reasons why he still finds the first movie in the series to be “a bit unnerving” between the ape costumes… or Charlton Heston’s teeth. As Teague continued:
And then I remember I saw Rise and War all in theaters because I was a huge Andy Serkis fan. And you know, I had grown up with his version of King Kong, so when I heard that he was playing another chimpanzee, I was really excited. And I guess my perception of the franchise before this was like they’re the best blockbusters ever made. So it’s amazing that I get to be in it.
Teague has a long history with the Planet of the Apes movies, especially pointing to the most recent trilogy of films that began with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, continued with 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and ended in 2017 with War for the Planet of the Apes. The actor is also an Andy Serkis fan, between the mo-cap expert’s work in King Kong and as Caesar in the Apes trilogy.
CinemaBlend also learned that Teague’s hero Andy Serkis was actually considered to be in this new Apes movie, but the director decided against it because his voice was too much like Caesar. Even so, Teague got to speak with Serkis about his own process and best tips for playing an ape in the franchise, along with going to “ape camp” to sharpen his performance.
During my interview with Owen Teague, he reacted to Wes Ball’s hopes to make Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes the start of a trilogy. The actor shared that he “would give anything” to get to play Noa for three films in the Apes franchise.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is among the 2024 movies that is coming out this summer season, with its release date coming on May 10. Ahead of its release, check out how you can watch the Planet of the Apes movies in order. If you want to rewatch the 1968 version specifically, it’s available to watch through Starz.