1963. French author Pierre Boulle writes Planet of the Apes, a science-fiction cornerstone soon adapted for the theaters in 1968. Led by Charlton Heston and directed by Franklin Schaffner, it’s the first installment of what will become a major science-fiction cinematic saga. Its legendary ending, different from the novel’s, would become one the most famous plot twist in the cinema history…
4 sequels will rapidly enter production from 1970 to 1973: Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
Though they were not praised as the first one and did not encounter the same commercial success (but certainly did not get a similar budget neither a A-listed star like Heston), they remain deemed as profitable B-movies, building up a few years before Star Wars the first major sci-fi franchise in movie history.
Decades before the golden age of series and binge-watching TV nights, two TV series came up in 1974 and 1975, then for 25 years the Planet of the Apes was made obsolete by … Star Wars, Terminator, Alien and a few other iconic sci-fi franchises.
Until 2001 and the Tim Burton’s remake also called Planet of the Apes. Though deemed as closer to the novel than the 1968 film, it’s a pale, soulless and poorly written new adaptation, that received rather negative reviews despite a good box-office performance. Not enough to revive the franchise, and it will take another decade before the Apes get to come back for good.
In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes starts over, stepping away from both the novel and the 1968 film, taking us before the events imagined by Pierre Boulle. It’s also a major technical breakthrough, as the ingenious practical make-up has been replaced by CGI and motion capture, emphasizing the Apes anthropomorphism.
Huge commercial success, it will give birth to three sequels from 2014 to 2024: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Those 10 films that have spanned almost 60 years of cinema are now available on Sky, from December 5th to 31st, 2025.
