Spy: Kiwi stars of new Planet of the Apes movie

Society Insider editor·NZ Herald·

21 Jan, 2023 04:00 PM2 mins to read

Love Taupo over summer. Photo / Supplied Travel 6 Dec 22

Kiwi actors Sara Wiseman and Lydia Peckham are starring in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — the latest instalment of the famous franchise.

The pair, who started filing late last year in Sydney, are part of an ensemble cast featuring Shameless star William H. Macy, The Witcher’s Freya Allen and Neil Sandilands from New Zealand-filmed Netflix show Sweet Tooth.

Both Kiwi actors are pretty chuffed to be part of the action.

“It’s on Donkey Kong, pretty darn grateful and excited for this one,” wrote Wiseman on social media.

It seems the Kiwi-filmed international streaming shows gain attention from the big movie studios — Wiseman was in US streaming service Peacock’s One of Us is Lying and Peckham in Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop.

Both actors took a break from filming and came home over the holidays. Wiseman who has a house in Pauanui with husband and fellow actor Craig Hall chose Lake Taupō to see in the New Year, while Peckham and her long-term partner William Barber spent time around Cape Brett Lighthouse Station in the Bay of Islands.

The actors’ partners have followed them back to Sydney as they resume their work on Kingdom.

This week Wiseman posted a picture of fellow cast members, including Peckham, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

The original 1968 Planet of the Apes spawned four sequels concluding in 1973.

Two TV series and a 2001 remake followed, which lead to several prequel films in the past 10 years. Kingdom is set years after the last movie in the franchise, War for the Planet of the Apes, which was released in 2017.

The Apes movies have traditionally delivered at the box office and both Kiwi actors are in for some serious attention when the film premieres next year.

President of 20th Century Studios Steve Asbell says Planet of the Apes is one of the most iconic storied science fiction franchises in film history, as well as being an indelible part of the studio’s history. Directing Kingdom is Wes Ball of the Maze Runner franchise.