Fans of thePlanet of the Apesfranchise will have their opportunity for another wonderful day, as so decreed by Proximus Caesar, who is portrayed by Kevin Durand inKingdom of the Planet of the Apes.Yes, those interested can watch directorWes Ball’sfilm in an entirely different light following its theatrical release, because a “raw” cut of Ball’sKingdomis planned when the sci-fi adventure’s physical media eventually drops. According toComicBook.com,the DVD will include the special-effects free version of the movie with the actors carrying out their performances in their motion capture suits. Ball said:
“I wanna show peoplejust what it is that is done on these movies. AndI think the magic still exists,because you look at it, and you’re like,‘Oh my God, how is that possible?‘That still exists. I don’t know, for the geeks that like this stuff,they’re gonna love it, I think.”
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Set several years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next installment in the Apes saga. Ape clans have taken up residence in the oasis that Caesar sought to colonize, but humans have reverted to their animalistic nature in their absence. Now battling between enslavement and freedom, outliers in the Ape clans will take sides in a newly burgeoning society.
Ball said in the same interview:
“I’m a fan of VFX.The trend right now seems to poo-poo VFX work, andI celebrate it.I think it’s a tool like anything else.I think the work that these artists do – these storytellers do – should be appreciated more.Yeah, sure, there’s bad VFX out there. There’s bad photography out there too, and we don’t kind of rail on cameras. You know what I mean?It’s just a tool to tell a story,and I thinkpeople will be blown away to see how these movies are created.”
Wes Ball Dishes on the ‘Mystique’ of VFX
Director Wes Ball is already thinking aboutsequels forKingdom of the Planet of the Apes.However, he is also very excited about the prospect of showing the fans the magic and exploring the “mystique” surrounding the visual effects process by presenting his “raw” cut of Noa (Owen Teague) and Proximus Caesar’s (Durand) conflict with all the actors sporting their MoCap suits — devoid of VFX. Ball explained in the same interview:
“I think there’s this kind of mystique behind them,like there’s a button that you say ‘make ape’ or ‘make human’ or ‘make VFX,’ ‘make pretty.‘It doesn’t work that way.It’s an incredible amount of craft and hard work and dedication that I think we should honor.There’s a lot of people that work on these movies on the visual effects side of things.”
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Proximus Caesar & Raka Actors Debate Human and Ape Nature
Kevin Durand and Peter Macon play apes on opposing ideological sides in the movie and got deep into a debate over their characters’ ideas.
Ball’s entry in thePlanet of the Apesfranchise exists betweenthe Caesar prequel trilogy and the original 1968 classic,which starred Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall and Linda Harrison. The director continued to praiseKingdom’sVFX work and the many others who contributed to making the new sci-fi adventure in the same interview:
“That’s not to say that all the onset guys,my production designer,andmy DP,and all these guys, too. I mean,everyone should be kind of celebrated for their contribution on a movie like this.AndI think just the visual effects component is a key of these movies.It would not be possible without them.”
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apesis now playing in theaters.
