The only three 20th Century Fox franchises I want to see revived...
Daredevil, I Robot, Master and Commander
That list, even in the wake of
the news that James Franco is the first cast for
Rise of the Apes - does not include what would be the SEVENTH full length feature film in a terribly over-done franchise. '
Rise' is
kind of a reboot and
kind of a prequel to the 2001 Tim Burton entry in the human vs. ape saga and it
begins filming on July 5th under the lensing of Brit director
Rupert Wyatt (
The Escapist). Franco is on board to play a scientist working on genetic experiments on simians in contemporary San Francisco, and seemingly is the guy responsible for the first thread in the evolution of the apes - the key moment when they gain intelligence. Basically -
THIS - is his fault. It mirrors much of
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, allegedly. I wrote about it a ton
HERE. I will grant Fox this - they have attached some good talent so far, but a movie that will likely go down in history for no other reason than to diminish the perfect and historical ending of the
1968 Franklin J. Schaffner directed classic - well, I just can't back it. The power of the broken statue of liberty and Charlton Heston pumping fists into the sand over four decades ago is in the ambiguity and the subtle hints of what man did to themselves, not the fact that Apes wiped us out which is likely to be where this franchise will eventually move into if this movie does big numbers, and a sequel is commissioned. Also - WETA are on board to motion-cap the simians, which although it's unclear, could mean the end of the legendary man in suit Apes, which has been a staple of the best of the franchise (yes - even Tim Burton's).
Rise of the Apes opens June 14th 2011.
DISCUSS: With SIX
Planet of the Apes movies (including one remake/reboot), a 14 episode live action and a separate animated t.v. series, hundreds and hundreds of comic books and novels; isnt it time to let this franchise die? Is there really anything left to be said that hasnt already been said?
