Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Short description
A scientist searching for a treatment for Alzheimer's disease, the illness affecting his father, tests experimental drugs on chimpanzees. One of the animals, a chimp named Caesar, shows a sharp increase in intelligence as a result. When circumstances force Caesar out of the home where he was raised and into a primate facility, he uses his heightened abilities to turn against the humans holding him and to organize the other apes. The story is set in and around present-day San Francisco.
Rupert Wyatt directed the film, which came after his 2008 feature The Escapist in his directing career. Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver wrote the screenplay and also produced alongside Peter Chernin. Andy Serkis plays Caesar, with James Franco as Will Rodman, Freida Pinto as the primatologist Caroline Aranha, John Lithgow as Charles Rodman, and Brian Cox and Tom Felton as John and Dodge Landon. The production credits 76 cast members and 141 crew.
Made for a budget of 93 million dollars, the film took in roughly 482 million dollars worldwide, a total well above its cost. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.6 from about 604,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.4 from around 13,000 votes. A critics' rating of 7.2 from 270 reviews places it close to the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Andy Serkis portrayed Caesar, the instigator of the ape rebellion, having previously given Gollum and King Kong their physicality and mimicry.
- "Rise…" is the first film in the 'ape' franchise where quadrupedal primates are represented by CG models. In Tim Burton's remake of "Planet of the Apes," actors played the apes with complex makeup."
- The film had three working titles: "Caesar," "Caesar: Rise of the Apes," and "Rise of the Apes." The filmmakers ultimately decided on "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" to emphasize the connection to the "Planet of the Apes" franchise.
- Toby Maguire was also considered for the role of Will, which was played by James Franco.
- The name 'Bright Eyes' is not accidental in the script. In the film 'Planet of the Apes' (1968), chimpanzee doctor Zira called Taylor (played by Charlton Heston) that until his vocal cords were healed.
- One of the first films to use motion capture technology during on-location shooting. Until then, this technology had only been used in studio settings.
- The first installment in the franchise to feature a new species of ape (previously, only chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans were included). Bonobos appear here. Their absence in earlier films in the franchise is explained by the fact that, until recently, bonobos were considered a subspecies of chimpanzees.
- Caesar's voice was created by sound designer Chuck Michael, who mixed sounds of adult male chimpanzee vocals with the voice of Andy Serkis.
- Footage of the 'Icarus' mission is actually footage shot aboard Apollo 8 in 1968.
- Initially, a stunt double was cast for the role of Caesar, but Andy Serkis was given the role only shortly before filming began. This was done at the insistence of Joe Letteri from the special effects company “Weta Digital”.
- The actors didn't simply portray monkeys. During post-production, their voices were altered to sound like those of monkeys, while still preserving the emotional coloring.
- The only scene featuring Caesar that Andy Serkis didn't play was the one where Caesar was still a baby – due to the size difference between the actor and the character. Instead, the baby chimpanzee was shown as animated, using a real newborn chimpanzee as a visual basis.
- In the original ending (which, by the way, was filmed), Will, played by James Franco, dies, and his death is shown on screen. In the final version of the film, Will tries to convince Caesar to go home with him, to which Caesar replies that he is already home. Statistical data on the rate of spread of the virus around the world is shown before the end credits, so it is logical to assume that Will (like most of humanity) dies. The original ending showed Will and Caesar in the forest, where Will persuades Caesar to return, soldiers appear, and Caesar is about to be shot, but Will covers him with his own body and dies from the bullets. A month before the film's release, it was decided to change the ending, so on the Independence Day weekend (July 4th), James Franco and Andy Serkis were called in to film the version of the ending that ultimately remained in the film.
- Initially, it was decided that Caesar would have a romance with a female chimpanzee named Cornelia. Scenes with these two characters even appeared in some trailers, but were ultimately cut from the film. Cornelia returns in Matt Reeves' 2014 film, 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'.
- Caesar uses a bundle of sticks to explain to Maurice how one monkey is weak, but monkeys together are strong. Similarly, a bundle of sticks, or Fasces, was a symbol of power in ancient Rome, the origin of Caesar’s name. The image of Caesar also evokes Benito Mussolini, who adopted the Fasces as a symbol of his Italian Fascist party.
- The name “Bright Eyes” is not accidental in the script. In the film “Planet of the Apes” (1967), Dr. Zira, a chimpanzee, used to call Taylor (played by Charlton Heston) that until his vocal cords were healed.
- The first draft of the script, written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver in 2006, was intended for a completely different project called “Genesis,” which was not connected to this franchise. It was about a vicious chimpanzee who grew up among humans as a result of a genetic experiment and possessed an enviable intellect but could only communicate through gestures.
- Karina Konoval played not only the orangutan Maurice, but also a stubborn court secretary with whom the protagonist argues. The director gave her a “human” role, being delighted with how she played the monkey.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
