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As Wes Ball gets ready to bring his upcoming epic Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes to the big screen, the director reflects on a canceled animated project he had in the works with fellow Apes helmer Matt Reeves – and says he hopes the movie does happen one day.
"I still have hopes that one day that project might come back because it’s really a special one," Ball tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday March 28, which features The Fall Guy on the cover. "It was a giant mo-cap Avatar, [with] medieval fighting mice."
Adapted from the 2006 comic book series of the same name, Ball’s Mouse Guard movie was supposed to go ahead at 20th Century Fox with Ball as director and actors Andy Serkis, Idris Elba, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster attached to star in the movie. Written and illustrated by David Petersen, the series follows Mouse Guard, a brave rodent warrior who protects his fellow Mice as they struggle to live safely amongst harsh conditions and predators.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes director Reeves was also working on the project. However, the adaptation was canceled in 2019 just two weeks before it was meant to go into production, due to a merger between Disney and Fox (H/T Deadline).
But it looks like Ball won't have to wait for Mouse Guard’s return in order to make a family friendly film as due to Disney's takeover of the Apes franchise, the upcoming installment Kingdom of The Planet of the Apes will target a different audience – newcomers to the franchise and families alike – from the Caesar trilogy’s male-dominated turnout.
"It opens up a lot of really interesting opportunities, [exploring] what has happened in that time," said Ball, before mentioning how the franchise’s newest character Noa, who he describes as "incredibly kind and nice," will solidify this. "We get to learn new things and be exposed to new ideas the same way that Noa is."
Ball is also busy next with his Zelda movie, meanwhile Reeves is working on The Batman 2.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to release on May 10. You can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, March 28.
Check out the covers below:
Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it's in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers.
