Severance Star Joins One Of The Biggest Sci-Fi Franchises
Dichen Lachman of Severance fame has joined the cast of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Dichen Lachman is about to get her paws on some damned dirty apes as she joins the cast of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. The Hollywood Reporter announced yesterday that the Severance star was the latest name attached to the 20th Century Studios’ production. Lachman will join Freya Allan, Owen Teague, and William H. Macy in the upcoming Planet of the Apes sequel.
Dichen Lachman is best known for her role on the Apple TV+ series Severance. Lachman plays wellness counselor Ms. Casey on the show opposite Adam Scott‘s Mark. Severance was recently renewed for a second season, with Lachman set to return.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will serve as a fourth installment in the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise. The current series of Apes films began with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes and spawned two sequels. The new film follows 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes and takes place several years after the previous film’s conclusion.
The new entry will follow several new ape societies long after Ceasar’s time. Some of the new tribes follow the former ape messiah’s teachings, while some don’t. A conflict between the two factions is inevitable.
The current series is the third iteration of the franchise. The first movie, simply titled Planet of the Apes, came out in 1968. The film starred Charlton Heston and featured one of the best twist endings of all time. The original spawned four sequels, only the first of which featured Heston.
Tim Burton attempted to reboot the series in 2001 with Mark Wahlberg. The movie was a critical and commercial failure leaving the second franchise dead after just one movie. Luckily, Rise of the Planet of the Apes came along to revive the dormant property.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the aforementioned War for the Planet of the Apes followed Rise. The trilogy of films was hugely successful thanks in no small part to Andy Serkis‘s performance as protagonist Cesear. The Rise trilogy was such a hit that it fully redeemed the series in most fans’ eyes after the dismal Tim Burton outing.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes won’t be the first creature feature for Dichen Lachman. The actress previously starred as a black-market Dinosaur dealer in last year’s Jurassic World: Dominion. In addition to that, she was also the voice of General Atitaya in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.
After dealing exclusively with cold-blooded, scaly beasts, Lachman should be relieved to be working with something with an opposable thumb and covered in hair. It’s unknown at the time what role Dichen will have in the new Apes film, but if her previous work is any indication, she’s sure to crush it.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is currently filming in Australia, with a release tentatively scheduled for sometime in 2024.
