Mark Wahlberg has been a part of many memorable projects in his career spanning over three decades. But 2001’s Planet of the Apes is a movie neither he nor the film director Tim Burton would want to remember. The movie starring him alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Roth failed to reach the expectations of everyone and took no time to be a forgotten venture.
Planet of the Apes was an attempt to remake the original 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston but failed to mimic the success. As a result, another Mark Wahlberg movie based on Pierre Boulle’s work was never pulled off. The remake was disastrous to such an extent that even the director and the actor couldn’t hold themselves to openly criticizing their film.
Tim Burton’s distaste for another Planet of the Apes movie
Tim Burton has a distinct style of his own and maintains a filmography comprising a wide range of movies. When 20th Century Fox decided to make a remake of the 1968 movie, Burton was roped in as the director with Mark Wahlberg as the lead. But the problems started soon enough when a release date was announced even before the Edward Scissorhands director even started to work on it. It created such a mess that is even evident with the lackluster response received by the film.
Planet of the Apes grossed around $362 million on a budget of $100 million but the reception failed to create a lasting impression. The twist at the ending proved to be one of the most disappointing end-shockers. It went on to be such a nightmare for Burton that even considered jumping out of the window better than returning for a sequel.
“The idea of me doing [a sequel] — I’d rather jump out the window. I swear to God.”
The whole production was such an arduous process that even Mark Wahlberg stated his disappointment. He supported the director and admitted that a release date was announced before Tim Burton even “had shot a foot of film”. The Transformers: Age of Extinction actor also went on to praise the recent reboot series starring Andy Serkis.
Mark Wahlberg praised the reboot series starring Andy Serkis
After the 2001 debacle, the franchise was once again relaunched in 2011 as Rise of the Planet of the Apes with Andy Serkis taking on the lead role as Caesar. The movie was followed by two sequels concluding the Caesar trilogy with a fourth movie in development.
When Mark Wahlberg spoke to MTV in 2011, he openly admitted that the latter movie was better than their version.
“I haven’t seen [Rise of the Planet of the Apes] yet, but I heard it was pretty damn good. Well, ours wasn’t. It is what it is. Ours wasn’t.”
He also added that Andy Serkis and the team did a fabulous job in reviving the franchise. The Caesar trilogy ended with War for the Planet of the Apes garnered immense positive responses and led Disney to announce more sequels after the acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Currently, a fourth installment titled Kingdom for the Planet of the Apes is in the making with Owen Teague in the lead.
Planet of the Apes can be bought or rented on YouTube.
Source: The Guardian
