Reshoots Changed Original Ending Of ‘Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes’
If you’ve seen either version ofPlanet of the Apes, the overall outcome ofRupert Wyatt’sRise of the Planet of the Apesshouldn’t have come as a huge shock — the end result is spelled out right there in the title, after all. But there was one key element of the ending that nearly turned out very differently, until a very late reshoot shifted the fate of one of its major characters. And given that the film ultimately wound up grossing $409 million worldwide, essentially guaranteeing a sequel or two, it was probably a pretty wise move on the part of the filmmakers. Read more about the alternate ending after the jump. (SpoilersforRise of the Planet of the Apesfollow, obviously.)
During a panel at the Visual Effects Society Production Summit, however, Gaglianorevealedthat the character of Will was originally supposed to die, and that the ending we saw was the result of a last-minute change of heart from the filmmakers. Franco and Serkis were flown in July 4th to reshoot the scene for the film, which had an opening date of August 5. According to an excerpt from an earlier draft of the script byRick JaffaandAmanda Silver, posted over atThe Playlist, Will perishes saving Caesar’s life.
Gagliano didn’t give a reason for the change, but one likely explanation is that the filmmakers felt it might be useful to have a major human character that they could bring back for a potential sequel. But if you’d rather see Franco’s character drop dead, you may still get your chance eventually. Gagliano also spoke about “the importance of alternative scenes and supplemental material” for after market sales. “For example, we thought James Franco’s character should die (in Apes), so we are going to sell (the alternative clip) down the road,” he said.
Discuss:Which ending do you prefer? Personally, I think Will’s death would’ve been the more interesting route, as it would’ve added another layer of poignancy to Caesar’s storyline. But then, I tend to come out on the side of killing off characters, so maybe that’s just me.
