Production has begun on Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, the fourth film in the rebooted Planet Of The Apes franchise, with filming taking place in Sydney.
As reported by 7News, Disney Studios were offered $17million in funding from the federal government – on top of an undisclosed amount from the state government’s ‘Made In New South Wales’ initiative fund – in order to secure filming rights. The report also projected that approximately 400 jobs would be generated from locals working on the film, and that the shoot would inject some $128million into the local economy.
At a press conference, Tony Burke – the residing Minister for the Arts in New South Wales – expressed his excitement at the beginning of local production on Kingdom.
“[It] says a wonderful thing about jobs and creativity in Australia,” he said.
Watch the full news report below:
One of Hollywood's biggest movie franchises is about to set up shop in Australia. The Planet of the Apes is coming to Sydney. In a major boost to Australia’s screen sector, more than 400 local jobs will be supported by the latest blockbuster production. https://t.co/Rql2Eda0bd pic.twitter.com/WUJLSE4knp
— 7NEWS Australia (@7NewsAustralia) October 10, 2022
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes was officially announced last month (September 29), although talk of a fourth film in the series had begun even before the third film – 2017’s War For The Planet Of The Apes – had been released in cinemas. This was confirmed in 2019, with news of Wes Ball being attached as director.
Three names have been confirmed for the film’s cast thus far: Owen Teague, who will play an ape named Cornelius, as well as The Witcher‘s Freya Allen and The Orville‘s Peter Macon in as-yet unknown roles.
In addition to Ball directing Kingdom, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver – who worked on 2014’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes – will serve as its head screenwriters. They will be joined by writers Josh Friedman and Patrick Aison.
In a statement announcing the film at the time, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell described the Planet Of The Apes franchise – which dates back to the 1968 original, starring Charlton Heston – as “an indelible part of our studio’s legacy”.
“With Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, we are privileged to continue the series’ tradition of imaginative, thought-provoking cinema and can’t wait to share Wes’ extraordinary vision for this new chapter with audiences in 2024.”