The problems start at the center, with the main character Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg). Baker’s make-up especially stands out, making the apes from militant General Thade (Tim Roth) to peacenik Ari (Helena Bonham Carter) look like credible apes while showing their emotions. The movie is gorgeous, from Burton’s early space station to Rick Baker’s make-up to the dramatic long shots of the ape city. Zanuck, in Hughes’ book, felt, “When you say Planet of the Apes and Tim Burton in the same breath, the idea is instantly explosive, like lightning on the screen.”Ī scene from Planet of the Apes. Having scored a hit with Sleepy Hollow, Burton was available and interested in a “reimagining.” Producer Richard D. In contrast, others imagined a kid-friendly comedy with apes skiing.īy the late ‘90s, sci-fi was in vogue. Each director had brought their ideas for rebooting the franchise, with some wanting to pattern after another movie featuring original star Charlton Heston, The Omega Man. Among the directors who passed on or eventually left the project: Sam Raimi, Oliver Stone, Peter Jackson, Chris Columbus, Roland Emmerich, Phillip Noyce, the Hughes Brothers, and James Cameron. Nor was he the second, third, or fourth choice. But Baumgarten was soon replaced, and new studio heads put the project on the back burner, leaving it to simmer for decades through endless rewrites.īurton was not Rifkin’s replacement. Still, now that Planet of the Apes (2001) is streaming on Amazon Prime, here’s why you should give it a shot.Īs recounted in David Hughes’ Tales From Development Hell: Hollywood Filmmaking the Hard Way, Baumgarten initially granted Rifkin’s dream, planning for an Apes movie starring either Tom Cruise or Charlie Sheen. Burton’s 2001 Planet of the Apes reboot gave a director known for big-screen oddity his biggest and oddest project yet while audiences were interested, critics bashed the franchise back into hibernation.
Baumgarten wanted to hear Rifkin’s ideas, and the rising star had one big one: bringing back Planet of the Apes, which had been dormant since 1973.Įventually, Burton’s path intersected with Baumgarten and Rifkin’s idea, with head-scratching consequences. 20th Century Fox president Craig Baumgarten had been impressed with a young director named Adam Rifkin, who later went on to direct family-friendly fare like Mouse Trap. He quickly became bankable, though audiences associated him with larger-than-life eccentricity.Īround this time, another discussion began in Hollywood. After 1985’s Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and 1988’s Beetlejuice, he showed that he could deliver unique visuals on a budget.
In the 1980s, Tim Burton made a name for himself.Īfter emerging as a concept artist at Disney, Burton showed an eagerness to meld horror and comedy together, with results bordering on the surreal.
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