If a studio is starving for a commercial blockbuster in the industry, then their best bet might just be Mark Wahlberg to come to their rescue. In recent years, the star has kind of become synonymous with commercial success in the industry and continues to make good on those claims, but just like everyone else. He too had his bad days in the past.
The one that stuck out the most was the reboot film of the original Planet of the Apes franchise made by Tim Burton, which featured the star in the lead role. The film was such a bust that even the director didn’t want to make any more of them, and Wahlberg was so disappointed by it that the space suit he wore in the film was gifted to Peter Jackson, who had a hard time making sense of it too.
Mark Wahlberg’s Gift To Planet of the Apes Fan And Director Peter Jackson
From being a successful Hip-Hop star to becoming one of the most commercially successful film stars in the world, Mark Wahlberg has come a long way. But even with so many blockbusters and the money he has made off it, there are instances in his acting career that have missed the mark when it came to leaving a mark in the industry. Among a handful of them, is the critical failure 2001 film, Planet of the Apes.
You may also like: “I was unavailable due to…”: A $5.2B Mark Wahlberg Franchise Dwayne Johnson Rejected Could Have Saved His Career Instead of Humiliating Fast X Return
The reboot film that planned to recreate the entire original franchise in the new age was a bomb in the eyes of the critics, something that bugged filmmaker Tim Burton so much that he swore never to make another, which led to the ruin of the proposed franchise. Judging by how the Ted star gave away his only keepsake from the film to the original franchise fan and prolific director Peter Jackson, he too may not be too fond of those memories.
It was revealed by director Joe Cornish (via SlashFilm) about the gift that Jackson received after he had worked with Wahlberg on The Lovely Bones. Cornish said that they were preparing for a film when they received the space suit that the star wore in the 2001 film at their door. He said:
“Me and Peter Jackson were working in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. There was a knock on the door, and somebody came in carrying a space suit, and it was Mark Wahlberg’s space suit from Planet of the Apes. It was a gift from him to Peter Jackson, because Peter’s obsessed with apes and monkey movies.”
Jackson indeed had mixed reactions to receiving that gift as he was a huge Planet of the Apes fan, which is why Wahlberg sent it to him, but he had no idea what to make of it.
You may also like: Despite Greek God Looks, Ryan Gosling Became so “Fat and unemployed” for a Movie, They Replaced Him With Mark Wahlberg
Why Did Planet Of The Apes Fail?
While the box office numbers were tempting for 20th Century Fox to create a sequel for the 2001 Planet of the Apes, the critical score was far from convincing for its success.
You may also like: Seth MacFarlane Shifts The Blame To Mark Wahlberg On Why Ted Show Won’t Feature Him
The one thing that was missing from the reboot film was the narrative issue with Leo’s return to his home base, which was executed with poor thought behind it. This, in turn, turns much of the plot into a messy crossover of multiple things happening at once with plot holes that were witnessed easily by the public, and thus, led to the critical downfall of the film despite relative commercial success.
Planet of the Apes, streaming on Disney+.
