There has been much talk in the last 13 years about a potential remake of The Planet Of The Apes. When Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was created as a prequel that would show how the dynamic between humans and simians changed, it inspired conversation about how sequels could move the narrative closer and closer to the original story before developing a fresh version of the classic.
That may still be a plan in the minds of one or two executives at 20th Century Studios – but it’s not something that Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes director Wes Ball would ever be interested in pursuing.
As captured in the video up top, I had the chance to interview Ball late last month during the Los Angeles press day for his new film, and in addition to talking about his perspective on the Planet Of The Apes canon and his work on the upcoming Legend Of Zelda movie, we also discussed the future prospect of a new Planet Of The Apes remake. With the filmmaker hoping to develop a new trilogy for the franchise, I asked if there existed pressure to eventually make such a project, and he explained why that idea is a nonstarter for him. Said Ball,
No, I’ve never felt the pressure. In fact, I have no say in this, so it doesn’t matter, but you would never go back and remake the original. You would just make all the stories that you can do up to that point [makes sound effects]. Cut. You go back and start ’68 over, and there’s the end of the franchise.
Basically, it helps to look at Andy Serkis’ Caesar Trilogy and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes as in-canon prequels on the Planet Of The Apes timeline instead of being a wholly separate thing. There’s no reason to re-tell the story of astronaut George Taylor because the version that features Charlton Heston is already a part of the continuity.
Of course, fans will remember that we already got a Planet Of The Apes remake from director Tim Burton in 2001, and it didn’t go over particularly well with the general public. It was ultimately a box office success, making over $360 million worldwide, and the special effects work is phenomenal – but the movie was dismissed by critics and its reputation pales in comparison to the beloved 1968 movie.
As for the new generation of movies, Wes Ball doesn’t expect that fans will see the films link up with the original blockbuster for a long, long time, but when that time comes, he sees no point in redoing that story. He continued,
Hopefully that’s many, many years [from now]. But why? Why go back and remake it? Right? It’s great. It still holds up. You can still watch it. It’s great. It’s a little timed; it’s a little dated. But it’s still works, you know? So anyway, that’s the way I see it.
If you’re looking to binge all of the Planet Of The Apes movies in the run-up to the release of Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, which arrives in theaters this Friday, May 10, you can easily do so via a Hulu subscription. Also be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend in the coming days for more from my interviews with Wes Ball as well as the stars of the new film.