The Hollywood rumour mill has already started churning out stories about the next Planet of the Apes movie; which is actually going to be a prequel, rather than another sequel to the immensely well regarded 1968 original, or another attempted remake like Tim Burton’s (Alice in Wonderland) 2001 fiasco; a film which will chronicle the origins of the apes ascension to power, and will be known as Rise of the Apes.
The movie will be set in present day San Francisco, where a genetic engineering experiment (that’s actually intending to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease) goes awry, and not only turns the lab-apes into extremely intelligent creatures, but extremely aggressive and specialized (as gorillas become soldiers, orangutans become sages, and chimps become academic) ones; leading to a large-scale conflict between humans and ape-kind, which man will inevitably lose.
The latest rumour regarding the picture came only a few days ago, after several sources reported that Don Cheadle (Iron Man 2) had been offered a role in the movie; and while that still may be the case, it’s yet to be officially confirmed; however, if he was offered, and did accept, a part, he’d be joining James Franco (Spiderman); who’s already been cast (officially) as a young scientist who’s heavily invested in the ape project, and a key player in the war of the species; and the recently cast, female-lead, Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), who will be playing a young primatologist.
More recently however, John Lithgow has agreed to join the cast list, and will be appearing as Franco’s dementia-stricken father; a rather serious, and possibly emotionally affecting, role that’s a far cry from the disguised comedy alien he played for so many years in 3rd Rock From The Sun, but one that the stunningly accurate and effective performance (and Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actor) he gave as the inwardly disturbed serial killer Arthur Mitchell, on Showtime’s Dexter, shows he should be able to easily pull off.
Filming is due to start shortly in British Columbia (Canada), with The Escapist’s Rupert Wyatt filling out the director’s role, and shooting the script that has been written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (the pair behind 1997’s The Relic), and will feature digitally created apes (rather than the more traditional man-in-suit types from the original) by WETA (the team behind The Lord of the Rings’ special effects) when it finally opens in June next year (2011).
