Fantastic Four’s Matt Shakman to Direct New Planet of the Apes Movie

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Matt Shakman, the director of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, will once again work with writer Josh Friedman on the next Fantastic Four movie. Shakman will also be a producer on the currently unnamed film.

According to reports, the upcoming Planet of the Apes film will start a fresh storyline, even though Amanda Friedman helped write the previous movie. This new story is being created by Wes Ball and Amanda Friedman, with Friedman also contributing to the screenplay.

Matt Shakman to Direct New Planet of the Apes Movie

It looked like he was on his way to directing a major science fiction film after being chosen for the next Star Trek movie, but he decided to leave that project when Marvel Studios offered him the chance to reboot Fantastic Four.

The film grossed $521.9 million and included numerous visually complex scenes, demonstrating Shakman’s ability to direct a large-scale blockbuster. This is encouraging, and likely what 20th Century Studios anticipates from him with the upcoming Planet of the Apes movie, which will feature entirely computer-generated ape characters.

Planet of the Apes Is a Major Hollywood Sci-Fi Franchise

Planet of the Apes is a key part of what 20th Century Studios is known for. It started with the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle, and the first movie came out in 1968. It quickly became a classic, boosted by a memorable performance from Charlton Heston, including the famous line, “Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”

The first movie was popular enough to get four sequels, a live-action TV show, and a cartoon. However, interest eventually waned. In 2008, 20th Century Fox attempted to revive the series, but the effort wasn’t successful.

Fox found success with a fresh start in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This led to a trilogy centered on the character Caesar, brought to life by Andy Serkis through motion capture, culminating in War for the Planet of the Apes.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes launched a fresh storyline, taking place many years after the events involving Caesar. Directed by Wes Ball, the movie received positive reviews and performed well at the box office, grossing $397.3 million globally.

While Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes didn’t perform as well as the last two movies, which might be why they’re choosing to start a new story instead of making a direct sequel, it’s still uncertain whether this film will completely restart the series or just introduce new characters within the existing world.

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2026-05-07 00:15