Because Rise of the Apes couldn’t tap into the existing franchise quite enough for 20th Century Fox, they have officially retitled the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Next thing we know Warner Brothers will title their planned Batman reboot flick Rise of the The Dark Knight Rises. It’s a good thing that fear is quite a few years off.
/Film confirms the news originally from CBM, who say to expect a teaser trailer hitting theaters on April 15th, 2011, presumably with Rio. As for the title, Fox is adamant that it goes “in line” with the rest of the films, which include Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Sure, it would fit, but I was hoping this new film would break away from the pack and stand on its own.
The blockbuster stars James Franco, Freida Pinto and Andy Serkis (in his motion capture performance suite). WETA is developing the photo-realistic apes using Avatar-like technology. Franco plays young scientist Will Rodman, “who makes a breakthrough while studying the development of intelligence in apes. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.”
Rise of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters August 5th, 2011.
What do you think of the title?