Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes!
A theory about Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes considers the return of the franchise’s oldest protagonist, George Taylor. The historic franchise’s latest installment is directed by Wes Ball, kicking off a new trilogy that occurs generations after War for the Planet of the Apes. The world established in the 2024 movie isn’t quite at the level of post-apocalyptic as 1968’s original Planet of the Apes movie. Despite being a complete reboot with no connection to the originals, the modern franchise seems to be heading in a similar direction.
Owen Teague headlines the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes cast as the franchise’s new protagonist, Noa. Like the 2010s trilogy, the latest saga seems to favor an ape lead, with Noa filling the gap left behind by Caesar as a heroic, compassionate leader. Unlike the previous trilogy, however, Wes Ball’s saga establishes continuity with human characters as well, with Freya Allan’s Mae introduced to play a pivotal role in the series. Having an important human character establishes some cohesion with the original movies, leading toward theories about the new movie’s connectivity to the 1968 classic.
The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ending twist sees Mae return to a colony of intelligent humans living in a bunker, which is shocking because the Simian Flu virus has devastated the human population, making much of the remaining species feral. Mae brings the colony a SATCOM key, allowing them to re-activate satellites and establish communication with other human bunkers around the country. The first person they get in contact with states that they’re in Fort Wayne, Indiana, leading to theories that it could be George Taylor, who’s from there in the original movie.
George Taylor is the main protagonist of the original Planet of the Apes film. He’s a 20th-century astronaut who sets out in hopes of finding a more civilized culture, though his ship ultimately returns him to Earth roughly 2000 years later, though the planet is unrecognizable and ruled by apes. The modern Planet of the Apes movies aren’t technically connected to this, but it seems likely that they could end up in a similar state, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball suggesting the new series could end where the 1968 film began (via CinemaBlend).
Of course, if that was George Taylor in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, his character is incredibly different from the version from the originals, which could be fitting. The original George Taylor left Earth before the events that led to apes becoming the dominant species on Earth, leaving several possibilities for how a new version would differ. Given the 2024 film’s focus on the stars via the abandoned university telescope, it’s possible humanity could pull off a space travel stunt. Many even theorized that Mae was an astronaut before the film came out.
While it’s likely that the mention of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is just one of the many Planet of the Apes references in the new movie, it’s fun to theorize about the possibilities. Another option for George Taylor would be that he’s already had his space mission and crash-landed back on Earth, similarly struggled with an ape civilization, and eventually made his way back to human society. He could also have been lying about his location and could actually be in space at the time of the movie’s ending, leading to a plan to bring him home or continue his expedition.
The movie’s ending has a distinct purpose, setting the stage for Wes Ball’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trilogy. Humanity may be on its last legs, but it’s not totally extinct, and their technological advancements mean they still have some fight left. The modern Planet of the Apes movies haven’t embraced outlandish sci-fi elements like the original movies. However, as the franchise continues to expand, re-introducing George Taylor would be an exciting way to move toward classic science fiction elements, such as space travel or even time travel.
The new Planet of the Apes trilogy already has its lead protagonists, and it would be unwise to overshadow them by introducing a new version of a classic character. Alternatively, the series could continue to hint at a space travel narrative happening in the background, leading to a third trilogy that would eventually end with the start of the 1968 movie. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes seems set to explore another grounded conflict between humans and apes, but it could also continue to lay the foundation for more sci-fi elements in the future.
Sources: CinemaBlend