New Planet of the Apes trailer reveals exciting connection to original movie

The new trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is here, and it looks just as epic as the three movies that came before it. However, there is one detail that could link back to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes movie, and it has fans very excited.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the fourth installment in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise, which began way back in 2011. After the success of sequels Dawn and War, this modern approach to the classic story has been heralded as producing one of the finest trilogies ever made.

So, why not throw in another movie and continue the story? Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes arrives in theaters on February 24, 2024, and the trailer for the upcoming flick dropped at this year’s Super Bowl.

Fans are stoked about what the trailer offers up, but in particular, a possible connection to the classic Planet of the Apes movie from 56 years ago is really getting tongues wagging.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has homage to 1968 classic

As we’ve come to expect from this terrific franchise, the new trailer showcases some incredible settings, from expansive woodlands to urban ruins. However, it’s the scenes where the apes are on a beach that piqued our interest, as this location is eerily similar to the setting from the 1968 movie that started it all.

In the classic Charlton Heston film, a crew of astronauts crash-land on a planet ruled by, you guessed it, apes. This story is set in the year 3978, more than two thousand years after they set off on their voyage.

By the end of the film, the surviving humans discover the ruins of the Statue of Liberty on a beach, suggesting the planet they are on is actually Earth and that mankind has been displaced as the dominant species by primates.

20th Century Fox

Anyone familiar with the original movie will know that the beach in the new movie’s trailer does strike an uncanny resemblance, and fans are theorizing that we could be about to get a similar climactic reveal in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

However, it would be somewhat fruitless to try and surprise us with another Statue of Liberty plot twist. Plus, we already know from the previous three films that the story is set on Earth and that the apes have taken over, so such a reveal wouldn’t really work this time around.

It’s far more likely that the new film will purely pay homage to the very first Planet of the Apes movie, while treading its own path and delivering its own unique twists and turns.