Empire February 2024

You saw the Rise. You witnessed the Dawn. You survived the War. Now, years after the end of the prequel-reboot trilogy that explored how Earth was overtaken by damn dirty apes in the first place, another story is about to begin. Get ready to enter the Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes – a bold new adventure in one of sci-fi’s longest-running cinematic sagas, with a fresh generation of primate protagonists, a totally overhauled world, and a tone all its own. Caesar’s revolution is over; a new kingdom awaits.

This month’s issue of Empire ventures into a wild new ape era, taking a world-exclusive look at what Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes has in store. Inside, we speak to director Wes Ball, stars Owen Teague and Kevin Durand, writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and more – getting the first word on the film’s overgrown post-apocalyptic world, meeting the heroic Noa and villainous Proximus Caesar, delving into the evolutionary leaps in performance-capture technology since the previous trilogy, and much more besides. All that, plus it’s packed with brand new images from the film, never-before-seen concept art, and behind-the-scenes looks from the shoot. It’s overflowing with a bananas amount of Apes goodness – and you’ll absolutely want to get your stinking paws on it.

Plus, this issue features our massive 2023 celebration, looking back on the cinematic year that just was: speaking to Christopher Nolan about the gargantuan success of Oppenheimer; breaking down Barbie’s standout monologue with America Ferrera; revisiting David Lynch’s surprise The Fabelmans cameo with the legend himself; talking to Ke Huy Quan about his scene-stealing performance in Loki; and much, much more. All that, and we get a brand new look at Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, enter the TARDIS with Doctor Who’s Ncuti Gatwa, speak to Jean-Claude Van Damme for a Pint Of Milk interview like no other, sit down with Jodie Comer to talk her astonishing ascent, and look to the future of the MCU in the wake of The Marvels. It’s an issue to go ape over.