New 'Planet of the Apes' movie won't be a reboot

Since it emerged that a new Planet of the Apes movie is in the offing, there's been much speculation over what form it will be taking.

We know that Maze Runner director Wes Ball will be at the helm, but reports earlier this month suggested that it might disregard the very fine work done in the previous reboot trilogy by Rupert Wyatt and then Matt Reeves.

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In the Reeves and Wyatt movies, they introduced the origin of those original movies, the first starring Charlton Heston as the astronaut who crash lands on a strange planet, only to find that it is the Earth, and it’s now populated by evolved apes.

Caesar, played in mo-cap by Andy Serkis, was the sentient leader of the ape population, which rise up against a human race which is weakened by a pandemic.

Then last week, it emerged that sources at Fox, now owned by Disney, were hinting that the franchise would be rebooted instead of continuing the Wyatt and Reeves strand.

It was then speculated that the original trilogy, Planet of the Apes, Beneath The Planet of the Apes and Escape from the Planet of the Apes, could be the basis of the reboot.

Now Ball has set the record straight, tweeting: “I won’t ruin the surprises, but it’s safe to say Caesar's legacy will continue...”.

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We'll likely find out more details sooner rather than later.

Following the acquisition of the Fox studio by Disney last year, Disney boss Bob Iger confirmed that a new Planet of the Apes movie was being considered a priority.

The last three movies, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, grossed over $1.6 billion (around £1.2 billion) worldwide.