The Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes Trailer's New Hero Explained
"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is set to introduce a brand-new hero.
Andy Serkis' Caesar is no more. The deified ape, who helped liberate his species, dies at the end of Matt Reeves' "War for the Planet of the Apes," which wraps up the reboot trilogy. The character's passing is a devastating development for the ape community but one that presents new opportunities. With Caesar no longer in power, a new generation of apes can hopefully learn from his successes and failures.
The upcoming sequel features a new hero who is shrouded in mystery. The first "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" trailer highlights this new protagonist, who happens to be plagued by strange dreams that show him "everything." Like Caesar, who was a messianic figure, it appears that this new ape is set to get a similar, prophet-like treatment. While the first teaser is certainly intriguing, details on the character are slim. In the first look, viewers see him in a pensive, reflective mood on horseback. Though he appears to be nomadic, shifting from one location to another, the trailer ends with him protecting a young human girl, implying he has at least some of Caesar's generosity and tolerance baked in him.
A press release from Disney confirms the (presumable) main character in "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is named Noa. And if a rumored plot report from notable Hollywood insider Daniel Richtman is anything to go by, then we know that Noa, from the "Eagle Clan," is set to go on a journey that could drastically change the kingdom of apes.
What mission is the new ape on?
The trailer kicks off with Noa consulting a leader or spiritual figure about his dreams. Clearly, something is happening in the character's subconscious that makes him worry about the future. As the trailer progresses, audiences see an eagle land on the hero's arm with relative ease. In the report, Richtman discusses how the Eagle Clan had its village destroyed and people kidnapped, which forces Noa to find survivors.
We see a functioning and happy village in the first "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" trailer, though it remains to be seen if this is the protagonist's home. Later, a village is seen getting burned to the ground. Richtman also highlighted how Noa works with a human girl, Mae (Freya Allen). It's unclear why Noa is working with or protecting the girl, but he's taking his job seriously.
It seems like Noa will find himself down a deep rabbit hole as he tries to save the surviving members of his village. Richtman says the marauders who attacked his village are associated with a new, powerful ape leader (presumably the same one seen in the trailer's final moments) who has plans to resurrect old human technology. As the trailer reaches its climax, it looks like the apes discover some sort of old-school weapons system that could wreak havoc on the ape world. How Noa factors into this remains to be seen.
While Richthman's report seems to be accurate given that the footage from "Kingdom" lines up with his plot synopsis, it should still be taken with a grain of salt.