Planet of the Apes sprung into popularity with the 1968 film, though it originated with a novel five years earlier. It has since gone on to be an enduring franchise, with new films produced right into the modern day. This is the Planet of the Apes timeline.
What’s on the Planet of the Apes Timeline?
The Planet of the Apes timeline includes most of the film and television in the Planet of the Apes franchise (except the Tim Burton re-imagining that we won’t talk about). The most recent reboot is placed first in the timeline, since it acts like a prequel to the original films, and it’s far enough removed on the timeline to avoid continuity errors with the older films.
However, with Escape from the Planet of the Apes, some apes go back in time. This is a separate timeline, similar to how Star Trek started a new timeline by going back in time. The television shows seem to take place in the original timeline, though after the apparent destruction of the Earth, so it’s not exactly known how it fits in. However, we’re going to assume that the original timeline continued after the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
Where to Start?
There are actually two decent places to start. The first is with the 1968 film, which will always be considered a classic but may be harder to swallow for modern audiences. If that’s the case for you, we recommend starting with the new reboot trilogy, which is largely considered to be good modern-day cinema, starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Rise, Dawn and War are not canon to the original 5 movies.