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The very first Planet of the Apes film was released in 1968, though contemporary audiences might be more familiar with the contemporary reboot trilogy that began in 2011. Now, with a new film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes set to hit cinemas this summer, you may be asking - do I need to watch all of the Planet of the Apes movies (or even the recent trilogy) to understand what's going on?

Do you need to watch the Planet of the Apes movies before Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes?

According to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball, you do not need to watch the previous Planet of the Apes movies before this newest movie - not even the recent trilogy. "You can absolutely watch this movie as its own thing," Ball shared at WonderCon 2024. "You'll be much rewarded" if you have seen the earlier movies, but you don't need to have seen them for this upcoming film to make sense.

Is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes in the reboot timeline?

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes fits into the timeline of the recent reboot trilogy, but is not an immediate sequel. The film takes place in the future of Caesar's world. According to Ball, he's hoping that this new film will fit "into the franchise of The Planet of the Apes, not just be a sequel to the past three," calling the film "hopefully... a new chapter."

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters May 10, 2024. Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets.

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