The first Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy followed the rise, dawn, and war of ape-kind against their human oppressors. Though Wes Ball‘s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes isn’t a continuation of the trilogy, it’s an extension of the franchise that takes place many generations after Ceasar’s passing. And now a final trailer reveals how the first elder’s words were lost to the passing of time, and how one ape’s journey reminds us about the importance of preserving history and the dangers of perverting it.

To celebrate the 10-day countdown of the release of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Studios has released its final trailer. In it, we see how Noa’s (Owen Teague) journey begins from an a humble chimp who has a lot to learn about the world outside of his quiet village and the violence that other apes are capable of when Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) sends his troop to burn down Noa’s village and capture his clan.

The trailer also reveals one of the film’s biggest secrets. Humans are capable of speech. When Mae (Freya Allan) speaks for the first time, it comes as a shock to Noa and Raka (Peter Macon), an orangutan who is the last of his kind in preserving Caesar’s teachings. Apes believed these humans were reduced to a primitive state because of their lack of speech and feral behavior. And it seemed that way in during our editoral bay set visit. But that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.

With the way that Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is framed, its very likely that 20th Century Studios is invested in continuing the franchise for as long as it can go. Of course, sequels depends on whether or not the upcoming film can meet certain expectations.

The film also stars William H. Macy, Travis Jeffery, Lydia Peckham, and Neil Sandilands.

Written by Josh Friedman, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters and in IMAX on May 10, 2024.

Here’s the official plot synopsis for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes:

Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.