Rise of the Planet of the Apes

A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other – and to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings is breaking new ground, creating a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence. 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.

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Trivia and Fun Facts

• This is a prequel/reboot to the classic movie Planet of the Apes
• Caesar is played by Andy Serkis in a performance-capture suit.
• No apes were used during filming of the movie. The only real-life animals are a dog and a few horses
• Directors Kathryn Bigelow, Robert Rodriguez, Tomas Alfredson, Allen Hughes and Albert Hughes, Pierre Morel, James McTeigue, Dennis Iliadis and Scott Charles Stewart all were considered by the studio, or passed on the project before director Rupert Wyatt signed on.
• In the original ending (which was actually filmed), Will dies. One month before the movie was slated to be released, however, minds were changed, so Franco and Andy Serkis flew in over the 4th of July weekend to shoot the ending that stayed in the film.
• The surname of Freida Pinto’s character “Aranha” is the Portuguese word for spider.
• The name of Tom Felton’s character Dodge Landon is a reference to the characters Dodge (Jeff Burton) and Landon (Robert Gunner), Colonel Taylor’s (Charlton Heston) fellow astronauts.
• The name given to Caesar’s mother is “Bright Eyes” due to the coloration in her eyes caused by the ALZ-112 virus. “Bright Eyes” is the name given to Taylor (Charlton Heston) by Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter).

Movie Quotes

Caroline Aranha: Hey. Some things aren’t meant to be changed. You need to accept that.

Caroline: What about Ceasar? Where does he fit in?

Production Notes and Cast Quotes

When Freida Pinto was asked on why she wanted to take part of the movie, she said “I just thought that there was a lot of soul to it. When I read the script, finally, after auditioning, I found myself even more drawn to it. I also like films with a lot of animals in it, and what happens to animals really does break my heart. It appealed to me because I never felt like I was reading a script about chimpanzees. I just felt like there was some humanising there.” Pinto continued, “What I try to do with my characters is to bring something different to all of them. Sometimes just being yourself can bring out the uniqueness of whatever it is. For Rise of the Apes, I auditioned for it without reading the entire script. I don’t remember when it was that I watched Planet of the Apes, but it was ages ago. When I read what the story was about – and the idea of the film is out there – I really thought that, yes, it was a big budget film and all of that, but it really had a soul in the kind of story that they really wanted to put out there. It’s a battle between humans and apes with humans trying to make themselves superior by exploiting another animal.”

Caesar leads Will to Caroline (Freida Pinto), a primatologist who serves as Caesar’s vet, and who becomes a key player in both of their lives. “Caroline loves the fact that Will cares for a chimpanzee so much that he almost treats him like his own son,” says Pinto. “She’s dedicated her life to apes, so she absolutely loves them and cares for them with all her heart.” On her character, she says “I play a primatologist and I have dedicated my entire life to chimpanzees. Caroline is the voice of reason but it’s a nice voice of reason without being preachy.”

As Caesar matures, his highly-developed intelligence is countered by the aggressive and dangerous protective instincts typical of adult male apes. Caesar soon becomes too much for Will and Caroline to handle. Will is reluctant to part with Caesar, who has become like a son; Caroline understands Will’s inner turmoil, but she knows that it is impossible for Caesar to remain with him. “Caroline insists that every animal needs open space and that you can’t expect a large animal – even a very special one like Caesar – to flourish inside a house,” Pinto explains. “Of course, she loves Will and Caesar, and understands why it’s so difficult for him to part with Caesar.”

Freida has nothing but praise for co-star James Franco, saying “He’s got his own unique and distinctive style of acting. It’s not conventional at all. It does take you by surprise initially, but it’s all about being flexible and trying to understand how another actor works. I found a lot of things in his acting style that I could pick up and learn from.”