Updated: August 20, 2026

The original Planet of the Apes film series consists of five classic science-fiction movies released by 20th Century Studios: Planet of the Apes ( 1968 ), Beneath the Planet of the Apes ( 1970 ), and Escape from the Planet of the Apes ( 1971 ).

The Original Pentalogy in Order Planet of the Apes ( 1968 ): Released on April 3, 1968, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. Astronaut George Taylor ( Charlton Heston ) crash-lands on a strange planet where intelligent apes rule and humans are mute and primitive, leading to a famous twist ending revealing it is future Earth.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes ( 1970 ): Released on May 27, 1970, directed by Ted Post. Another astronaut, John Brent ( James Franciscus ), searches for Taylor and discovers a subterranean city of mutated humans who worship a nuclear bomb.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes ( 1971 ): Released on May 21, 1971, directed by Don Taylor. Intelligent chimpanzees Cornelius and Zira travel backward in time to 1973 Los Angeles in a reversal of the original premise.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes ( 1972 ): Released on June 29, 1972, directed by J. Lee Thompson. Set in a dystopian 1991, Cornelius and Zira's adult son Caesar leads an enslaved ape rebellion against humanity.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes ( 1973 ): Released in June 1973, directed by J. Lee Thompson. Caesar tries to forge a peaceful society between apes and surviving humans before a radical gorilla faction threatens war.