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Fantastic Four and Wandavision director leaves the MCU to reboot Planet of the Apes again
Matt Shakman is jumping the the Planet of the Apes for the upcoming sequel, which is being written by The Fantastic Four: First Steps screenwriter
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Despite some uneven entries over the years, the Planet of the Apes franchise continues to endure. Now, 20th Century Studios is tapping the director of the most recent MCU film to helm the next movie in the Planet of the Apes saga, with Matt Shakman jumping from The Fantastic Four: First Steps to a post-apocalyptic, ape-ruled world – and he’s taking his writer with him.
On May 6, 2026, it was confirmed that Matt Shakman is moving from Marvel Studios to 20th Century Studios to direct the next film in the Planet of the Apes series. In the same move, Josh Friedman is attached as screenwriter. Shakman last directed The Fantastic Four: First Steps for Marvel, which was also written by Friedman.
Friedman is not just familiar with working with Matt Shakman; he also wrote 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which grossed around $400 million at the box office. However, this Planet of the Apes film is being reported as a “new original story” that Shakman and Friedman are developing. That leaves the exact future of the series up in the air, as it is unclear if this new film is a reboot or just a new film in the timeline that started with Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Friedman’s involvement makes it seem more likely that the movie will take place in the aftermath of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, even if it is years or decades later. Most likely, it will continue the trend of the series of having long gaps between films to show the slow progress of the apes as they spread across the world and feature a new simian hero.
The next Planet of the Apes movie doesn’t have a release date yet.
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