What's your favorite Schaffner movie? "Patton"?

Did you know he also did the original POTA?

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Maybe there's too many movie soundtracks in July (including Giacchino's own "Spiderman") and they want to give it some elbow room?

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According to Charlton Heston's diary, 50 years ago today he was hanging upside down in a net and they wouldn't take their stinkin' paws off him.

7/6/67: "A helluva long day, in the course of which I was finally brought to earth as Taylor. Having evaded clubs, whips, horsemen, crowds, they tripped me ass over tea kettle into a thrown net and hoisted me high. It should make a damn good sequence; shooting it took about all the stamina I was relieved to discover I can still muster. It's surprising the perspective an experience like this gives you. Upside down in a net, a man isn't worth much".

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Your friends at "Entertainment Weekly" have provided a track from Michael Giacchino's "War For the POTA" soundtrack. It happens to be the end credits, a good choice since end credits tend to reprise the main themes of a movie.

Sounds pretty good. Nothing jumps out. I heard a little "Dawn" reprise there and interesting vocals at the end ("Lord of the Rings"ish). But definitely an "off to war" feel.

ew.com/movies/2017/06/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-michael-giacchino-score/

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The "War" mongers have hit New York, where "War 4 the POTA" will premiere Monday night. Will the Statue of Liberty be in the background?

POTA week begins!

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"Witness the End" refers to the end of Caesar's story (one way or another). And maybe the end of human rule.

I can almost guarantee you they weren't thinking of the "Beneath" tagline (though it is the director's fave Apes sequel), which referred to, well, the end of the world.

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"War For the POTA" is one of the best reviewed movies of the year, but I like what Brian Tallerico, a reviewer at rogerebert.com, sez:

"A shockingly memorable movie, the kind that gets better as you dissect and discuss how much it does right after the lights have gone up".

rogerebert.com/reviews/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-2017

Most summer movies get worse after they are thought about, so that's a good sign. I guess we'll know soon.

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Um, hello? Is this on? There's a new POTA movie opening today (double checks what kind of group this is).

Now, watch like apes!

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What a heavy duty movie! I give it 3 out of 4 suicide notes.

How did they convince Fox to make that?

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I still think "Dawn" is the best of the 3. More epic, more variety in the situations. I love "Rise" and "War" but they are kind of one note and in the end almost the same movie. "War" is hard to watch at times and I worry for it's box office (which will decide if there's more).

Reeves has said "War" is from Caesar's perspective so he cut out some of Harrelson's stuff. He plans the same approach with Batman.

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It's been a tough summer for Hollywood franchises at the box office, with new installments opening lower than their predecessors. And POTA is looking no different. "Rise" was a question mark whether it would work (believing in CG apes) and when it opened to $55 million and got a worldwide take of $482 million it was deemed a risk that worked. "Dawn" wuz even more a rise at the box office, with a $73 million opening and $711 million worldwide.

If "War" continued that progression it could come close to the storied $1 billion mark. But it's looking like it's going backwards to "Rise" levels. As of Saturday the prediction is a $58 million opening (in line with what Fox expected). It will probably beat Spider-man, an achievement in itself, but some were hoping the great reviews would push it more in the "Dawn" realm and beyond. Also iffy is that "War" is a tough watch and that might cut into repeat viewing and word of mouth. Fox seemed to understand that and cut the budget to $150 million from Dawn's $170 million to accommodate Matt Reeves' ambitious story.

Where it will stop, nobody knows but the violence could wind up with "War" doing less than "Rise". Would that be a deal breaker for more "Apes" movies? I don't think so. Look no further than Fox's revamped "X-Men" movies, which have had a similar trajectory. "First Class" came out the same year as "Rise" did (2011) and made less ($353 million worldwide); "Days of Future Past" did slightly better than "Dawn" in 2014 ($747 million worldwide) and then "Apocalypse" reverted back to $543 million worldwide (about where "War" will land if current trends hold up). And Fox is continuing with "X-Men" so these numbers seem acceptable to them.

Overall, Nu Apes has done well but there seems to be a block that keeps it from joining the ranks of the top franchises (or join the Oscar winners) despite all the acclaim.

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In these days of movie universes, one series in a franchise isn't enough. Fox spun off Wolverine from the X-Men, Bumblebee will get his own movie separate from the Transformers, etc. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox is thinking of giving Bad Ape (the cute as a button comic relief in "War") his own movie. I don't know where they got that but HR has always been the Newsweek of movie info (with Variety as Time) so maybe it's true. It does make diabolical sense.

Bad Ape stuck out like a sore thumb as the relief valve in a very heavy movie and some felt he upstaged Andy Serkis' Caesar. Maybe he can start a business making winter jackets for the other apes and we'll finally get some clothes on them.

Psst! This link has spoilers.

hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/war-planet-apes-how-can-survive-more-movies-1021558

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For those who haven't seen "War", thar be spoilers in this link.

For those who have, director Matt Reeves and Andy Serkis talk the ending. Reeves is off to do "The Batman" and doesn't rule out a trilogy so he might be gone awhile. Serkis would love to reconnect with him on Apes down the road (box office willing) but sez he's not burned out, and would consider continuing, maybe even directing some Apes movies.

It's all up in the air right now until Fox decides what they're going to do, but it's hard to imagine these continuing without Serkis and WETA. That Serkis wants to continue is a big victory on the road to more Apes.

latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-planet-of-the-apes-caesar-ending-20170717-story.html

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Is "War" a good model for future POTA movies? They got tight on the budget so they could tell a more challenging story. Matt Reeves sez over half the budget on an Apes picture goes to the FX. Dawn cost $170 million; they cut the "War" piggy bank to $150 million, giving Reeves more freedom to tell his story but that money came out of the production budget, not FX.

A lean, mean budget on future movies with the freedom to tell interesting stories sounds right for Apes and in the tradition of the original films. They were not expensive movies and were known instead for their potent stories (for those who got it). Fox has been able to tell quite a few "X-Men" stories over the years by keeping reasonable budgets. Apes has kept pace with X-Men's worldwide take so it seems doable.

"War" stayed pretty much in one location but it was shocking what they got away with, as big franchises go. A continuation of that, please. I'd rather have a solid string of movies than trying to go "bigger and better" each time. The folks running POTA seem very smart so I think that's the way they will go, box office willing (which it doesn't seem to be at the moment but fingers crossed).

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Lots of franchises are struggling at the domestic box office. POTA's hope, as with most of them, is with foreign. Most of the dough for Rise and Dawn came from foreign. It's a tough movie so I don't know how well it will play out there or if countries like China will even play it.

But Apes has pretty much kept pace with Fox's new "X-Men" films:

2011: First Class - $354 m. worldwide; Rise - $481 m. ww

2014: Daze of Future Past - $748 m. ww; Dawn - $711 m. ww

2016: Apocalypse - $543 m. ww

I think "War" will end up in the $500 million worldwide range, not the $232 million (worldwide!) and bad reviews of "Alien: Covenant". "War" is already at $175 m. ww with a long way to go in it's run. Plus "War" has great reviews and I honestly think a shot at a Best Picture nom (it's Schindler's List with apes). As long as it keeps it's head above $500 million it will continue like "X-Men" (which has been going for over 15 years).

Plus Apes has a strong producer in Peter Chernin who will see it through. What's the point of a POTA franchise when you don't even reach the POTA? But it's at the perfect spot to go into the future and change things up. I think that will help at the box office.

If the franchise dies again, at least it went out swinging (and not just from trees).

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Generally the rule of thumb is crank them out. Three or four years is a death sentence these days. They wanted "War" in two years but Reeves asked for 3 (no word if he said "pretty please").

The only one who gets 10 years is James Cameron.

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They've already said it would be a bad idea to remake the original. But by the time they get there they might change their minds.

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I disagree. They are probably talking to Oliver Stone as we speak.

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As we know, there's an opening for a new Apes director. Matt Reeves has served POTA well; he almost seemed born to it, riding roughshod on the FX to make sure they were as good as they could be. But now he's moved on to Batman and has suggested he'd be open to a trilogy. Meanwhile, Andy Serkis and Co. are still excited about doing more POTA and the great reviews certainly aren't a hindrance (the box office looks weak right now but I'm confident when the final worldwide tally is complete it will be a survivable $500 millionish or more). Apes does as well as Fox's X-Men that they have been continuing for over 15 years. And "War" is so heavy duty that I wouldn't discount some Oscar noms, maybe even Best Picture (when you're done laughing maybe we can continue).

So come September we'll probably be hearing some director names bandied about. Tradition holds that probably whoever is chosen will be someone we've never heard of. Who heard of Rupert Wyatt or Matt Reeves before Apes? I knew of Reeves based on his association with J.J. Abrams but most people hadn't. Now he's a hot director.

We tend to imagine famous directors taking over Apes but usually young and hungry directors are picked who will accept corporate suggestions. Though I will say to the credit of Fox and the production company Chernin Entertainment that they have been very director friendly and the result is what's being called one of the best movie trilogies ever. Ev-ah!

Which brings me to the main point: who will fill Matt Reeves considerable shoes? Dunno. But my vote goes to Oliver Stone. Hey, get back here! Stone and Chernin and Apes (oh my!) go back 25 years. Chernin wuz the head of Fox in 1993 when Stone was announced to head up a new Apes (nobodies like Peter Jackson and Adam Rifkin had made attempts but they were knocked off the board when Stone said yes). That wuz Stone's magic moment when he wuz getting decent budgets to do the kind of political movies he wanted to, so he was more a producer of Apes then but with an option to direct. But he wasn't happy with the script that resulted and lost interest (the '90's was a graveyard of terrible Apes scripts).

Fast forward almost 20 years. Tim Burton did the remake, it did pretty well but it wasn't well regarded. Fox had absolutely no interest in giving Apes a second chance until Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver hit on the prequel idea that became "Rise". Apes fan Peter Chernin, who went from running Fox to being #2 of the whole News Corporation, had retired to pursue his own company, which included a sweet production deal with Fox. His company wound up with the gig to produce "Rise" and any Ape sequels ("Rise" took a big risk, asking people to believe in CG apes, so sequels weren't a given). According to "Rise" director Rupert Wyatt, one of the first directors Chernin asked wuz Oliver Stone.

OK, so here we are again with an Apes movie looking 4 a director. Obviously there's interest from Chernin in Oliver Stone but for Stone is the third time the charm? To be honest, I'm doubtful but with all his Apes history I would love it (while admitting the prospect of current Oliver Stone isn't as exciting as '90's Oliver Stone). And here's some more groovy factoids about Stone and Apes:

Apes refs in Stone films: That first time Stone wuz involved in Apes he wuz finishing "Natural Born Killers" (starring Woody "War" Harrelson); indeed, his NBK producers got him involved in Apes. Right before that film's cafeteria scene, a loudspeaker announces that the prison will be showing "Escape From the POTA".

In Stone's latest feature "Snowden", the title character is reacquainted with a colleague, who shows him around the NSA Hawaii location while wearing a POTA T-shirt. This is the place where Snowden will do the deed and it's interesting that he's shown around by a guy wearing a POTA chimp T-shirt ( POTA chimps would be perfect Oliver Stone characters, insiders who go against the powers that be to do what they feel is right).

Charlton Heston wuz a big Oliver Stone fan and in his autobiography called him "one of our best filmmakers". Heston lamented that because of their politics he would probably never be in an Oliver Stone film; Stone heard that quote and cast him in "Any Given Sunday" (1999). The film also did a tribute to his "Ben Hur".

A Stone "Apes" movie could be a nice counterpoint to his ancient history epic "Alexander" (the Great). In terms of Stone's filmography it would give him a film of mankind's past and one of mankind's future. "Alexander" also has a nice early turn from Toby (Koba) Kebbell as well as a fun moment where Alexander's men battle a "tribe" of monkeys. Stone has edited 4 versions of the movie; the original version that flopped in theaters was lacking. I prefer the 3^rd version "the Final Cut". Though the movie is considered a flop it wuz popular enough on home video for Warner Bros. to keep asking for more versions to sell.

As a Stone fan I enjoyed in Matt Reeves' Apes movies that many Stone actors took central roles. In "Dawn" there's 2 Stone cold assassins: Gary Oldman (Lee Harvey Oswald in "JFK") and Toby Kebbell (who assassinates Alexander's dad). In "Dawn" both take terrorist actions, with Kebbell's Koba trying to assassinate Caesar. Then there's Woody Harrelson in "War". He's been compared to Col. Kurtz in "Apocalypse Now" but it's not a far cry from his character in "Natural Born Killers" (both even shave their heads on screen). Don't know if Matt Reeves is a Stone fan but these roles kind of leaped out at me considering Stone's history with Apes.

In the end what interests me now about a Stone Apes film is what interested me then. He's a talented filmmaker who takes risks commenting on society and that's what Apes has always been about. And it would be fun for it to come full circle 25 years later. Now seems the best chance for it to happen. Stone is no longer the hot commodity he once was. It's hard for him to get the political movies he digs financed. Is it possible he's ready to pull a Rod Serling and make his social points through disguised sci-fi? I doubt it but I'd dig it.

One last thing that suggests to me Stone is ready for Apes. He recently did the 4 hour "Putin Interviews". It's a given he doesn't trust the U.S. intelligence agencies and worries that all the emphasis on Russia as the bad guy will lead to nuclear war. Climate change also worries him. Stone seems ready for a big picture look at the planet and what we could do to ourselves. For those who feel Nu Apes needs a dose of nukes, Stone might be your man.

That's my take. Who do you want to direct Apes next?

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Though he's got a bat in his belfry, Matt Reeves is still passionate about Apes and wants 2 continue in some capacity, whether as a producer or an advisor or coming back as a director down the road: "It's not something to be turned away from lightly".

He also sez the first cut of "War" was 45 minutes longer; half of that was pacing and half was about 20 minutes of cut scenes.

collider.com/matt-reeves-war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-interview/

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Or maybe, a prophet?

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He's still at the top of his game as far as speaking out. He just can't get decent budgets anymore.

Very much speaking out about the threat of nukes in this "new Cold War", believes in nuclear winter. Showed "Dr. Strangelove" to Putin. Seems to be in an apocalyptic mindset. Since he can't get his own movies made, he could do a kick apes POTA. He does everything with passion.

6/3/17: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0ynBm9uAAM

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Oliver Stone would just yell at me and say, "I don't want to do that stupid POTA stuff". : (

In 2012 I went to an event for Stone's "Untold History of the United States" and asked him to sign Eric Greene's "POTA As American Myth" book. He paused like he wasn't going to do it but I said "You were part of it" and he wuz a good sport and signed it next to Heston's.

After "War" it's wide open; they could go to any place on the planet and any time; 200 years in the future, or pick up right where "War" left off. Considering the lack of box office I think they will go into the future and give the apes some clothes and power.

There's lots of nukes on the planet for someone with knowledge (or their progeny) to push a button.

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Thanx!

Actually Fox is a nice retirement home for directors. Ridley Scott (79) has a deal there, so does James Cameron (62); both doing sci-fi movies.

Fox's #2 is Emma Watts, who got her start working 4 Stone in the '90's and considers herself one of his biggest fans.

And like I said, POTA honcho Peter Chernin has been trying to get Stone to do Apes 4EVER.

I think it would all come down to Stone saying yes and not getting too crazy with his ideas. Maybe if he saw "War" and how much freedom directors are being given to tell POTA stories he might bite. "War" seems the kind of heavy duty Apes movie Stone would've done.

Normally I wouldn't want Ahnuld anywhere near POTA but if he teamed up with Stone like they were going to do 25 years ago that would be fun. Or Stone could reteam with Tom Cruise, who has expressed interest in playing an ape (hopefully at a discount).

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All true. I said I doubted Stone would happen because he probably wouldn't do it. If he said yes I think it could happen and I gave reasons why. I just brought it up as a TOPIC, not a prediction.

Yep, we've got to wait until fall for Apes' fate. It will hit $200 million worldwide this weekend and if it gets to $500 million (I think it will) it will probably continue.

Pretty much all of Fox's franchises are down, as are most franchises. The latest "X-Men" did less and they are continuing. Alien did really bad. "Avatar" is their big billion $ property but it's been MIA for almost 10 years. Deadpool is their current winner but who knows if the sequels will hold up.

Plus Chernin is an influential producer at Fox. In short, probably more Apes, and probably soon, 2 – 3 years. They are already moving on more "X-Men" and their flop "Fantastic 4". Gotta keep the pipeline going.

Rupert Wyatt or Serkis are possibilities as directors but they are in the middle of other movies that don't come out until next year. Wyatt and Fox didn't see eye to eye on the story and that's why he wuz out in the first place.

Before the year is out we'll know who's doing the next Apes and when it's coming out. And by the way probably the next Alien too.

"Spiderman" isn't doing much better than Apes and will be one of the lower scoring superhero movies of the year. The biggies are starting to come out in March and that hurts those in July. Summer has a new paradigm.

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