Charlton Heston's Taylor was the original hero in Planet of the Apes, but does he still exist in the current franchise timeline? Starting with the release of the first film in 1968, Planet of the Apes explores a future in which humanity has destroyed itself, and Earth is now ruled by primates who have evolved to be the superior beings on the planet. Taking a page from author Pierre Boulle's classic political satire novel, the first film leaned heavily into the science fiction elements, and launched a franchise that is still going strong today. 683p14

The Planet of the Apesfranchise has been going strong since the late 1960s, but it plays fast and loose with science according to one primatologist. Based on the Pierre Boulle novel, Planet of the Apes concerns an astronaut trapped on a strange world inhabited by intelligent primates who treat humans like animals. While the original novel was a bit of political satire, the 1968 film adaptation leaned heavily on the science fiction elements and launched a blockbuster film franchise that has continued on for decades. Even after the original series ended, prequels arrived years later to restart the series.

Beneath the Planet of the Apeswas released just a few years after the original film, but Charlton Heston was hesitant to reprise his role in the sequel. After the smashing success of 1968's Planet of the Apes, it was only natural that 20th Century-Fox was clamoring to cash in on the box office appeal of the new sci-fi franchise. Therefore, Beneath the Planet of the Apes was rushed into development and would arrive shortly afterward in 1970. However, it was immediately clear that the first Planet of the Apes sequel was lacking something crucial.

The Planet of the Apesfranchise has offered several different versions of humanity's demise in its nearly 60-year history, and even the original films were inconsistent. The 1968 Charlton Heston classic notably diverged from its source material, and author Pierre Boulle's biting political satire was transformed into a straightforward science fiction adventure story with some Cold War touches. While some changes were inevitable, the original Planet of the Apes movies never kept their story straight, and the modern prequel series only made things more confusing with additional changes.

Planet of the Apes officially weighs in on the debate over whether 100 humans can beat one gorilla in a fight, with an expected response. An online debate has been brewing over the idea of whether 100 people can beat one gorilla in a fight. The meme has sparked a multitude of responses, such as how that many people could overpower a gorilla, or that the great ape would easily crush that many people. It's a debate reminiscent of the Planet of the Apes movies, especially newer ones where gorillas have core roles to play in the stories.

Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes movie was made after the original run of movies (1967-1973), but before the franchise's return to prominence with 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, making it confusing to work out where Burton's sole contribution belongs within the canon - if it does at all. However, there is a solid answer to the question of where the 2001 effort fits into the vast collection of Planet of the Apes movies. Plus, it's easy to work out where Burton's movie slots into place in the various Planet of the Apes timelines.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes continued the impressive run of the franchise’s revival movies over the past decade and a half, combining breathtaking visual realism with a compelling plot that does justice to its forerunners. However, the movie still lacks any development on the setup teased in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the first entry in the modern Planet of the Apes continuity. We had two scenes referencing a group of human astronauts launched into space, who haven’t been heard from since.

In many ways, 2024's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes marked a new era in the Planet of the Apesfranchise, and one of the most unexpected changes the film made was its new protagonist, Noa. Since 1968, the Planet of the Apes movies have explored the concept of a world run by intelligent apes. The five original movies followed astronaut George Taylor as he comes upon the apes, Cornelius, and Zira. Starting in 2011, three reboot films centered on Caesar, who leads the ape revolution. Now, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has introduced a new hero.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes jumped forward in time to put the Planet of the Apes platform on a new trajectory after the epic Caesar trilogy of the 2010s, but a surprise scene that included Caesar might have been one of the most important in the entire movie. Set roughly 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes in the overarching Planet of the Apes timeline, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes explores how ape society has evolved since Caesar's death, and how different sects of apes have carried on his creed.

With 10 Planet of the Apes films now released in the iconic sci-fi franchise that spans centuries of in-universe time, it's fair to wonder if the earlier films are essential viewing. Thanks to some clever time-warping plot lines, the original five Planet of the Apes movies are broken into two branched timelines. The first two movies (Planet of the Apes and Beneath the Planet of the Apes) technically operate on a separate timeline from the "Caesar Trilogy" (Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes).