"Planet of the Apes" re-imagined

[phantomstranger]

Planet of the Apes Prequel in the Works?
Source: CHUD
November 29, 2008


Last month, CHUD reported that 20th Century Fox had a script in the works titled Genesis: Apes, which is essentially a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. The site said that the project is the story of Caesar, the first ape with speech who started the events that led to a world where monkeys were on top.

Now, they're reporting that Fox's Tom Rothman talks about the possible prequel in between showings of the "Planet of the Apes" movies on Fox Movie Channel this weekend.

"We are very close at Fox on a new Apes script- this one a kind of prequel story before the first story, with a return to the social thematics that mark the first one, but with an entirely contemporary setting - Earth 2009," Rotham reportedly says.

[ferretchucker]

I didn't like the newer planet of the apes. Doubt I'll feel better about this one.

[Elvis_Christ]

Yeh I wasn't a fan of the remake but perhaps I should revisit it and give it another go. I love the original films and the short lived TV series but the remake just didn't do much for me storywise in comparison.

[ferretchucker]

If I remember, in the new one that didn't even include the twist that made the first one so great.

[The_Return]

As I recall - and I saw it in theatres, and fell asleep - the remake sort of had a twist on the twist.

[urgeok2]

this is one of the very few prequels i think i'd be interested in seeing.

most are immediately redundant becasue you already know how everything works out ... but the tale of how the first ape became intelligent would make an interesting and seperate story that could easily stand on its own.

[zwoti]

but the tale of how the first ape became intelligent would make an interesting and seperate story that could easily stand on its own.

they came up with an answer to that in the original films.

[urgeok2]

they came up with an answer to that in the original films.


hmmm .. its been a while - i really should rewatch them again.

all i can remember is the 1st one, and Beneath - because of the mutants :)

[ferretchucker]

I can barely remember the first one. I know I enjoyed it though. Does anyone know if they've been released on DVD?

[zwoti]

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/95339/Planet-Of-The-Apes-Collection-Box-Set/Product.html 6 disc set of the original 5 films

[Elvis_Christ]

they came up with an answer to that in the original films.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is my favorite flick of the series.

[_____V_____]

Good news Planet of the Apes fans, it appears a reboot of the classic film franchise may in fact be moving forward. While the project was originally thought to be dead, reports indicate that Twentieth Century Fox is eager to get a new film underway. Sources close to the project have said, “…the studio is now more determined than ever to make the film.”

Initial speculation about the film not happening came when writer Scott Frank (Minority Report, Marley & Me) left the project. Many thought this was the end of Planet of the Apes, but as it turns out the opposite may be true. Fox has turned the project over to producer Peter Chernin and hired writer Jamie Moss (Street Kings) to revise Frank’s version. Furthermore, scribes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (The Relic, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle), have returned to the fold to polish the dialogue.

While Fox originally wanted to pursue a different story when Frank wrote his script (code named “Caesar“) now, “…the studio wants to make the Caesar project, post haste.”

So, just what can we expect from this new tale?

“Frank’s Apes script, code-named Caesar, showed how genetic experiments on apes led to their evolutionary eclipse of humans. “Caesar” refers to the genetically altered leader of the simian rebellion, so dubbed because the ape was capable of grand strategic thinking on par with Julius Caesar (whose own surname means “hairy” in Latin). The “Caesar” code name also foreshadowed the script’s plot: Just as the actual Julius Caesar set Rome on the path to the Roman Empire, the experimental ape’s escape sets in motion his fellow hirsute hominids’ guerrilla war and subsequent dominance.”

While the original film started with a planet populated by Apes out of the gate, it will be interesting to see how this origin film plays out. However, if anyone can make it happen it’s certainly Chernin. The producer has been championing a reboot since 1992 when he paid Oliver Stone a million dollars to produce a Return of the Apes film. In fact, Fox is so confident in Chernin, and the script they have, it is likely a director will be hired immediately.

While Tim Burton’s 2001 remake left us with a somewhat enigmatic ending, Planet of the Apes is certainly a franchise worth investing in. Sure, a lot of jokes have been made at the film’s expense but there’s a noteworthy story to be told. Hardcore fans have no doubt that in the right hands this could be a blockbuster series.

[_____V_____]

Reviving the "Planet Of The Apes" franchise has been a top priority for 20th Century Fox for well over a decade now, and even before they made the Tim Burton version of the film in 2001, they had spent years of development time and millions of dollars trying to figure out how to re-introduce talking monkeys to the general population.

The Tim Burton film was supposed to kick off a whole new series, but poisonous critical reaction and general public indifference killed that plan. Recently, writer/director Scott Frank worked for a while to create a script called "Caesar" which would have jumpstarted the series, starting from a new beginning that would hopefully fold into the original run of movies, narratively-speaking. That version also stalled out, and now Fox is moving forward with a film that will incorporate ideas from a number of different incarnations over the years.

One of the ideas that they've held onto from draft to draft, filmmaker to filmmaker, no matter how many times it didn't work previously, is the notion of a genetic engineer whose work leads accidentally to the rise of the apes. Considering this new version is titled "Rise Of The Apes," there's a good chance we're going to finally see them use the idea. It's like Jon Peters, who spent a decade trying to work a giant spider into a film before finally getting one onscreen in "Wild Wild West." If Fox is lucky, maybe this film will turn out just as good as that one did.

Here's the official press release that Fox sent out today:

"Twentieth Century Fox has set a June 24, 2011 release for RISE OF THE APES, a completely new take on one of the Studio’s most beloved and successful franchises. Oscar®-winning visual effects house WETA Digital – employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for AVATAR – will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors.

Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark will produce for Chernin Entertainment under its new pact with Fox. Acclaimed filmmaker Rupert Wyatt (“The Escapist”) is directing from a screenplay by Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa, who also are producing.

RISE OF THE APES (tentative title) is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy."

Now, Rupert Wyatt's a promising filmmaker, and "The Escapist" is a fine example. And WETA does some of the best digital character work in the business, so I'm sure their work bringing the apes to life will be absolutely cutting edge.

But it is amazing that at this point in the timeline, studios haven't figured out that NO ONE CARES ABOUT PREQUELS. They are narrative dead ends, and there is absolutely no audience out there demanding them.

It's hard to even figure out why prequels and needless origins have become the default for studios. It's not like they're automatically cheaper or easier. They're not some guaranteed secret formula to financial success. Prequels are the sort of thing that only a businessman would think is the way to keep an audience happy and/or engaged.

[Ferox13]

hmmm .. its been a while - i really should rewatch them again.

all i can remember is the 1st one, and Beneath - because of the mutants :)

Yup in Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (the 4th one)

[_____V_____]

(via Empire Online)


According to Deadline, James Franco is reportedly in talks to star in 20th Fox’s Rise Of The Apes.

The studio has been plugging away at the Planet Of The Apes prequel concept for years, and finally seems ready to get one on the screen whether we want it or not.

Rupert Wyatt is directing Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa’s current draft of the script, which follows human scientists performing genetic experiments on apes in modern-day San Francisco. Naturally, things go badly wrong and agressive, intelligent simians are the result, which sparks a conflict between the two species.

One that will eventually drive Charlton Heston to exclaim, “You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”

Or, if you made it through to the end of Tim Burton’s remake, to make Mark Wahlberg look a bit confused at Ape-braham Lincoln sitting atop his monument in alt-Washington.

The team from Weta are signed up to provide CG monkey business and Fox wants this one in cinemas by next June.

Apparently, given how impressed the Fox suits were with Franco’s work on Danny Boyle’s real-life drama 127 Hours, they figured he’d naturally want to frown a lot as smart apes took on humanity. He had a sit down with Wyatt, who pitched him the concept last week and whaddya know: he’s up for it!

[trx1]

i have the 1st set on vhs..GREAT films :D