20th Century Fox is Developing a New PLANET OF THE APES Movie |

20th Century Fox is Developing a New Planet of the Apes Movie

… with Matt Shakman (Fantastic Four: First Steps) directing.

I am a big fan of this franchise, and have been for as long as I have memories.

You see, back in the 1970s, when I was a child, Detroit’s Channel 7 often aired the “classic” films on weekends. I vividly remember watching Charleton Heston desperately trying to survive his crash landing following a failed space mission, and his challenges trying to escape the horrible situation he finds himself in on a “distant” planet in the constellation Orion … or so he believed.

There were five movies in the franchise and one TV series. Detroit Channel 7 aired them all, along with other fantastic Sci-Fi movies of the 1970s, and each weekend I eagerly soaked them in; they were magnificent.

Then came a Tim Burton remake, which truly did not make any sense.

Then came a rebirth and a popular new film series, which has featured actors like James Franco, John Lithgow, and Gary Oldman. These movies have been well received and have done well at the box office.

The Timeline

Here is the timeline of movies to help clarify things before we get to the news. I have colour-coded the movies in the same series.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Planet of the Apes TV Show (1974)

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Mystery Planet of the Apes Movie (????) See news below.

The News

Studio 20th Century Fox has signed director Matt Shakman (Fantastic Four: First Steps) and writer Josh Friedman (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) to spearhead a new Apes movie. According to Deadline, it will not be a follow up to Kingdom; it will in fact be an original story. The script has already been written.

There is no announced filming schedule or release date yet.

I’m optimistic about this, because at its core, the story is so powerful. It’s about religion vs. science, evolution vs. creationism, it’s about class struggle, and the movies have included powerful themes such as man vs. nature and the dangers of science pushing tenuous boundaries. (The ship was even called Icarus!) I felt the recent Fantastic movie was a tad slow, and I hope filmmakers push for a more tense and energetic film. Suspense in this series is a good thing. It doesn’t have to just be a thinking-person’s story. I believe fans would welcome a grand adventure at this point in the franchise.

As more news arrives about this project, I’ll post it here at Life After Gateway.

See No Evil — Hear No Evil — Speak No Evil.

Check out this short courtroom scene from the original film. During the sequence, evidence is being presented before the judges. This was the result when real and verifiable scientific evidence contradicted scripture: (Credit to YouTube channel James Anderson.)

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 28 May 2026

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007