Earth's new future is here in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” first look

The war may be over, but the planet of the apes lives on. On Thursday, we got our first full look at the latest film in the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise and what Earth's future holds for the simian race. Check out the new trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes below.

In the upcoming movie, Caesar, the ape leader played via motion-capture by Andy Serkis in the trilogy that began with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is now dead after leading his people to a peaceful oasis. Now it's up to new apes, like the one played by series newcomer Owen Teague, to pick up where he left off.

A similar change has taken place behind the camera. Matt Reeves directed Rise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes. But now that he's busy in the world of The Batman, director Wes Ball (Maze Runner) has taken his place.

At this point, apes have developed a full society and have domesticated animals themselves — we see them riding on horses and hailing birds on their arm. Meanwhile, humans have regressed into being primitives that the apes hunt for sport, or feed out of pity from beside their campfire. One ape cares for one young human girl in particular, carrying her on his back during a dangerous mountain climb.

20th Century Studios 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'

But the apes might still fall prey to human society's old flaws. We see them excavating old scientific establishments and military bases; though abandoned and grown over with plants, these installations might be very dangerous. The trailer also shows one of them rising as a warlord-type figure, leading a rally of apes and shouting "what a wonderful day!" like the villains from Mad Max: Fury Road.

Though the original Planet of the Apes movies put actors in ornate ape costumes, the newer films have used motion-capture technology, and Kingdom continues that trend. Teague said that stepping into Serkis' shoes was "literally a dream come true" in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this summer.

"I remember Andy being like, 'You'll get used to [performance capture] and you'll stop worrying about it after the first week.' And he was absolutely right," Teague said at the time.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters Memorial Day weekend 2024. Watch the trailer above.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated Owen Teague is playing Caesar's son "Cornelius" in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. He is actually playing a new, as-yet unnamed character, EW has learned

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• War for the Planet of the Apes director reveals films that influenced the sequel

• War for the Planet of the Apes brings back original series character

• Beneath the Planet of the Apes: An appreciation