After the massive success, and sustained cult status, of 1968’s Planet of the Apes (starring Charlton Heston, as an astronaut who lands on a planet he doesn’t recognize, where apes are not only the dominant species, but intelligent, and English speaking, and the humans are much more primitive, and caveman like), there have been numerous sequels, TV movies, a TV series, and a Tim Burton re-imagining, all of which have attempted to capture the essence, spirit, and and spectacle, that made the original so compelling; and now, 42 years after the originals release, 20th Century Fox are again trying to recapture that spirit, with a prequel film, known as Rise of the Apes.
Rise will be directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist), and is actually set in modern day San Francisco; where the origin of the ape intelligence will be explained, in the form of a genetic engineering experiment, which makes them both intelligent, and highly aggressive, and leads to a large-scale conflict between the two species, where, if the sequel is anything to go by (even the name; Planet of the Apes; gives it away), the apes will inevitably score a thoroughly definitive win.
There’s no official cast list as yet, as production begins on July 5th this year, with Fox hoping to release the picture next June (June 24th 2011 to be precise), but there has been casting activity; with James Franco (who’s best known fro playing Peter Parker’s best mate, and Spiderman’s nemesis, Harry Osborn) recently entering talks to star.
If Franco signs on, he’ll be playing the part of a young scientist who’s thoroughly invested in the ape project, and becomes a crucial figure in the war of the species; a war that will be brought to life by Peter Jackson’s (King Kong) Weta Digital company (The Lord of the Rings), who will be digitizing the apes into a war that the majority of fans hope turns out to be more like the Heston classic (is essence), than the Burton failure.
