Summary

• The official trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes reveals a new cast and story, while still having connections to the previous films.
• The protagonist, Noa, learns about human history and is fascinated by coexistence between apes and humans involving Freya Allan's character.
• Proximus Caesar sees himself as a deity and leads apes in hunting humans, while Noa protects a special human character and uncovers the truth about the apes' leadership.

The official trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' cast is completely new, differentiating the film from its predecessors while still having loose connections to the three films released in the 2010s.

In doing so, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes can tell its own story with hints toward the legacy of Caeser. This was proven by Planet of the Apes timeline established in the rebooted trilogy, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will tell a new story about Noa, an ape facing off against the tyrannical Proximus Caeser, with the new Super Bowl trailer providing plenty of reveals about such a tale.

8 Noa Is Learning About Human History & Evolution

An ape from the future begins learning about the history of the world in which he lives.

The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes official trailer begins with a voice-over from Proximus Caeser asking if Noa is familiar with the concept of evolution. This voice-over is played above images of Noa finding relics from human history, and combing over books that prove humans were once the dominant species on the planet. Noa is then told about ancient human society, from their ability to "fly like eagles fly" or "speak across oceans." This combines with Noa's fascination with human technology in the trailer, proving the ape is learning about how his world came to be.

7 Proximus Caesar’s Apes Hunt Lesser Evolved Humans

Proximus makes it clear how he views the hierarchy of power in the apes' new kingdom.

After explaining the old ways, Proximus makes it clear that it is the apes' time to rule the world. He states that this will be led by his kingdom as apes are shown hunting feral humans in the wild. This seems like a central plot point of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, that being Proximus' potential hatred for humans. Freya Allan's human character is shown running away from a roaming band of apes as Proximus states he will learn but, most importantly, he will conquer.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes releases in theaters on May 10, 2024.

6 Proximus Caeser Is Worshipped By Other Apes

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' villain has a significant hold over apes in his titular realm.

As Proximus is explaining his ways to Noa, shots of other apes bending to the former are shown. This seems to imply that Proximus is not only a leader of the apes but almost a deified figure among certain crowds. Unlike his namesake, Andy Serkis' Caeser, who rose to power by being a great leader, it seems as though Proximus is viewed as almost god-like to his subjects. While Proximus may still be a great leader, it is clear the dynamic of power between him and his followers is different from the one Caeser held in the original trilogy.

5 Noa Seems Fascinated With Apes & Humans Coexisting

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' protagonist seems to have different ideals than its villain.

Shortly after the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer establishes Proximus Caeser's goals, it switches focus to the film's protagonist: Noa. Noa is shown speaking with an orangutan who explains that humans and apes once coexisted. Noa is then shown looking in wonder toward Freya Allan's human character using a telescope, fascinated with both humans and their technology. This seems to reveal that Noa will be much more open-minded to humanity than Proximus Caeser is, leading to the film's central conflict.

4 Freya Allan’s Human Character Is Smarter Than Other Humans

One human stands above the rest in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Concerning why Freya Allan's character is special in Planet of the Apes, the trailer for Kingdom reveals why. Many thought that Freya Allan could be playing a descendant of Nova from War for the Planet of the Apes, though the distance in the timeline made this unlikely. In the trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Noa asks why Allan's character is being hunted more intently than other humans by Proximus and his followers. Noa's orangutan ally replies that she is smarter than other humans, suggesting a resistance to the devolved state of evolution humanity has fallen into.

3 Noa Uncovers Secrets That Ape Elders Lied About

The truth about Proximus' kingdom may be uncovered by Noa by the film's end.

One line from Noa in the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes trailer seems to hint at the center of the film's conflict; Noa can be heard saying "The elders did not tell us everything about this world." This seems to imply that Proximus' leadership has become dictated by the knowledge he and his elders on to their subjects regarding the state of the world, humans, and how the apes should treat other creatures. Noa's discoveries with Allan's character imply that he realizes Proximus has not been entirely truthful, leading to the conflict between the two.

2 Noa Protects Freya Allan’s Human Character From Proximus’ Apes

Noa and Allan's character become the target of Proximus' hunters.

After learning more about Allan's character and the state of the world, the trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes reveals that Noa becomes the former's protector. While unclear exactly how as yet, it is evident that Allan's character is integral to the film's plot, likely due to her smarter nature than other humans. Potentially as a way of unmasking Proximus' deceit regarding the aforementioned Elders' knowledge, Noa is protecting Allan's character throughout the film.

1 Noa Recycles Caesar’s Iconic Ape Mantra For A New Purpose

Noa embodies the true legacy of Caeser in a way Proximus does not.

As the trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ramps up, the conflict between Proximus and Noa becomes more serious. The tyrannical ape insists that together, Noa and Freya Allan's character will die. Noa then recycles the iconic mantra from Caeser's time in the original Planet of the Apes trilogy by replying "No. Together... strong." This references Caeser's "Apes together strong" motto from the first three films, putting an interesting twist on the words of Andy Serkis' leader.

In the context of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Noa is referencing the bond between his and Allan's characters. Rather than use it to signify the apes standing together, Noa is using the mantra to explain his opposition to Caeser's namesake. This is certainly an interesting theme, as it proves Noa is more like Caeser than his dark counterpart ever will be. Caeser fought humans where necessary but always sought to avoid conflict and coexist peacefully with humanity. Noa seems to desire the same, while Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Proximus seeks dominance.