The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer's King & What He Wants Explained

The Planet of the Apes franchise is set to return from a seven-year hiatus in 2024. 2017's "War for the Planet of the Apes" famously brought its Andy Serkis-led Caesar trilogy to an end. Now, a new era is slated to begin when "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" hits theaters in May. Set years after the events of its predecessor, the film is expected to introduce an entirely new cast of characters and fresh conflicts between the various ape clans that have been established.

The first "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" trailer, which debuted online in early November, offers fans a sweeping look at the movie's mysterious story and characters, including a charismatic ape king. Standing before his clan of coastal apes, the leader loudly proclaims, "What a wonderful day!" moments before the teaser cuts to black. In other words, the trailer doesn't offer viewers much insight into his role in the narrative, and the same is true for the rest of its characters.

Fortunately, the teaser's footage seemingly confirms many of the details that have previously been released and leaked, including a plot description from Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman that was shared online last year. The synopsis specifically mentions Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a "powerful ape leader" who is intent on acquiring the last remnants of an unidentified form of human-created technology that could allow him to achieve all of his dreams for his growing kingdom. The only problem? The technology in question is apparently hidden beneath the earth.

It hasn't been revealed what form of technology is at the center of Proximus Caesar's plan. The trailer for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" does, however, feature several scenes in what appears to be a long-abandoned underground facility. These moments seem to confirm the accuracy of some of the early rumors about the forthcoming sequel.

It's been reported that Proximus will put together a team of marauders from his coastal clan to forcibly acquire more ape workers to mine the facility of all of its resources. His marauders will eventually cross paths with the movie's protagonist, Noa (Owen Teague), a young ape from a peaceful clan. After Noa's tribe is attacked, raided, and enslaved by Proximus and his ape followers, the young hero reportedly sets out to liberate the other members of his clan. Along the way, he teams up with two other characters featured in the recent "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" trailer: Raka (Peter Macon), an intelligent orangutan, and Mae ("The Witcher" star Freya Allan), a feral young human woman who has her own reasons for wanting to thwart Proximus' plans.

The Andy Serkis-led Planet of the Apes films introduced more than their fair share of memorable villains, including Woody Harrelson's ruthless unnamed colonel and Toby Kebbell's treacherous Koba. Whether or not Proximus Caesar will join the ranks of the franchise's greatest antagonists remains to be seen. But the footage and details released so far from "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" certainly suggest that he'll be a force to be reckoned with — one who harbors potentially world-changing goals.