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Though Tim Burton’s PLANET OF THE APES failed to blow people away, it was definitely a valiant effort, and a franchise that bears revisiting in the minds of the studio heads. 20th Century Fox is gearing up a PLANET OF THE APES prequel film, which is going to called RISE OF THE APES, and it appears James Franco has signed on to star. Variety is reporting the Franco beat out several of Hollywood’s top young actors, and talked with Rupert Wyatt (who is set to direct RISE) last weekend. According to insiders, it was an amazing meeting of the minds.
Described as an origin story, “Apes” is set in present day San Francisco and deals with the aftermath of man’s experiments with genetic engineering that lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Franco will play a driven scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes.
The popular visual effects house Weta Digital will be trying something new, rendering photo-realistic apes instead of costumed actors. It’s said they’re be implementing some of the technology developed for James Cameron’s AVATAR. Filming is set to start July 5, with a release date of June 24, 2011.
I think there’s tremendous promise with a franchise like PLANET OF THE APES… if done right. I didn’t hate Tim Burton’s version, it just wasn’t that memorable. Perhaps having people in costume was part of the problem. That stuff worked well in the original movie, but these days people are so incredibly particular, especially when it comes to sci-fi movies. Maybe it’s because we’ve kind of seen it all. But AVATAR proved there’s still a way to wow audiences. What do you think? Could RISE OF THE APES be phenomenal? Could it be the APES update we’ve all been waiting for? Let us know in the comments below.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
rad, thanks for the scoop!