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Lost Scenes

The following are deleted scenes and unproduced episodes from the Apes films and TV series, respectively. Please feel free to send us any corrections or contributions.

Planet Of the Apes

At the end of the movie, Taylor learns that Nova is pregnant. These scenes were shot but cut from the final film. The producers felt that having Nova pregnant changed the emphasis of the ending. The following paragraphs are from the original script by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling:

EXT. LAKE AND CAUSEWAY - LONG HIGH ANGLE SHOT - NIGHT

As previously established, the animal compound is on the outskirts of Apetown. The abductors must cross the causeway on their route of escape. In the distance, near the gazebo, we can see the lights of several torches.

The caged wagon rolls into scene and out onto the causeway. At the same time a mounted gorilla leading two pack animals appears on the far side of the causeway, coming toward CAMERA. Lucius stops the wagon.

CLOSE TWO SHOT - LUCIUS AND ZIRA - ON THE WAGON

LUCIUS
(apprehensively)

Gorilla hunters...

ZIRA

Keep moving. We can't turn back now.

BOOM SHOT - THE CAUSEWAY

As the mounted hunter nears the wagon, we can see two bodies slung across the backs of the pack animals.

FLASH SHOT - TAYLOR AND NOVA - IN WAGON CAGE

They look out at:

THE PASSING HORSES - FROM THEIR P.O.V.

The bodies on the horses are naked human corpses.

MED. LONG SHOT - THE CAUSEWAY - REVERSE ANGLE

In immediate f.g., near the gazebo, is a similar wagon. It has lost a wheel, and its rear axle lies on the edge of the causeway. Two naked primitive males can be dimly seen within the cage. Four or five armed gorilla hunters stand near the wagon: two of them carry torches; the others are passing a jug from hand to hand.

The leader of the Hunt Club, still on horseback, holds up his hand as the lab wagon approaches.

LEADER
Hold it!

Lucius obeys. The hunters on foot swarm around his wagon as their leader calls authoritatively:

LEADER
Ah, Doctor Zira! Our wagon broke
down! I'm afraid we'll have to
commandeer yours.

CLOSER ANGLE - THE LAB WAGON

as the Hunt Club Leader rides over, recognizing the animal psychologist.

LEADER
(indicating his own wagon)
We bagged two live ones today.
I'll have to ask you to take them
along.

He moves to the rear of the wagon.

ZIRA
(following him; frantically)
No, no, my animals are diseased...
Leave them alone! They're diseased,
I tell you!

Lucius jumps down and runs toward the rear of the wagon.

REVERSE ANGLE - REAR OF WAGON

The hunters have opened the tailgate and are shining their torches on the humans. They sound ready for sport.

FIRST HUNTER
Give him a taste of fire!

One of the hunters points his torch at Taylor, who, quite naturally, shrinks back as Lucius runs into scene.

LUCIUS
Stand back! He's dangerous!

FIRST HUNTER
Why?

ZIRA
He's rabid! His bite is fatal!

FIRST HUNTER
You serious?

LUCIUS
You would die in agony!
(with appropriate gestures)
Frothing at the mouth!

The hunters fall back. Lucius promptly locks the tailgate and he and Zira run back to the front of the wagon. Lucius snaps the reins and the wagon moves off. The hunters follow it a few paces, pausing near their mounted leader.

FIRST HUNTER
They treat those animals better
than they treat us.

LEADER
I still say the only good human is
a dead human.

The fugitives' wagon recedes beyond the gazebo, as we:

DISSOLVE TO:

Revised Planet of the Apes screenplay, 7/6/67

EXT. RIM OF A DEEP GORGE - HELICOPTER SHOT - DAY

This is terrain never before seen in this picture. (Lake Powell location, a few miles northeast of Wahweap). The party can be seen on the rim of a flat desert tableland that falls away abruptly to a vast, irregular river of deep blue water. Taylor, Cornelius and Lucius are unloading the wagon and repacking their provisions and equipment on the backs of horses. Zira watches them.

CLOSER ANGLE - THE GROUP

Nova wanders off, falls to her knees.

LUCIUS
Something's wrong with your mate.

Taylor looks off. He and the others move quickly to Nova, CAMERA PANNING with them.

CLOSE GROUP SHOT - AROUND NOVA

She has been retching. Taylor lifts her up. She is faint with nausea. Zira squats down beside them.

ZIRA
Let me handle this.
(ruefully, to Taylor)
You may be smarter than I am,
but I'm the veterinarian on this
planet.

Assisting Nova to her feet, Zira leads her off toward the wagon.

MED. SHOT - CORNELIUS, TAYLOR AND LUCIUS

Taylor watches the departing females, then looks down at the river.

* * *

GROUP SHOT - NEAR WAGON

Zira is looking curiously at Nova, who stands in the shade leaning against the wagon as the males enter the scene.

Nova's nausea has passed, and she comes smiling to Taylor.

TAYLOR
What's the diagnosis, doctor?
A touch of the sun?

ZIRA
She's not sick at all.
(a beat)
She's pregnant.

CLOSEUP - TAYLOR

Consternation slowly gives way to wonder. He grins.

TAYLOR
So I'm not an altogether
different breed, you see?

DISSOLVE TO:

Revised Planet of the Apes screenplay, 6/15/67

EXT. ARCHEOLOGICAL CAMP - MED. SHOT - DAY

* * *

 

ZAIUS
(firmly)
He won't survive.
(all look at him)
Do you know what sort of life
awaits you out there, Taylor?
That of an animal. If you aren't
eventually hunted down and killed
by apes, some jungle beast will
devour you.

TAYLOR
Then there is another jungle?

ZAIUS
(shrugs; then, sardonically)
Of course, you could return with
us. Our society might find a
place for you and your mate.

TAYLOR
Sure. In a cage.

ZAIUS
Where else, but in a cage, does
man belong?

TAYLOR
No, thanks. I'll take freedom.

Revised Planet of the Apes screenplay, 5/23/67

EXT. PALISADE AND BEACH - LONG HIGH ANGLE SHOT - DAY

* * *

CLOSE SHOT - NOVA AND TAYLOR

He smiles at her hopefully.

TAYLOR
Yes, Nova - I see it.
(looks again at forest)
In my old profession green meant
safe. Green meant go.

The horse moves off a trot, CAMERA PANNING. But they have gone only a short distance when they hear the distant THUNDER of an EXPLOSION. Taylor reins in and looks back.

VERY LONG SHOT - A CLOUD OF SMOKE

A column of smoke and dust rises from the exploded cave far upstream.

BACK TO TAYLOR AND NOVA

Frowning with concern, Taylor gazes for a moment at the smoke, then decides this is no time to linger. He digs his heels into the horse's flanks and they move off at a canter, riding toward the promontory that splits the beach. They are nearing the promontory that blocks their view of the beach beyond.

Revised Planet of the Apes screenplay, 5/23/67

The following is an earlier version of the final scene, written by Rod Serling, rewritten by Michael Wilson and rewritten (again!) by John T. Kelley:

THE STRANGE FORMATION - AS SEEN BY TAYLOR

An immense column juts from the beach at a thirthy-degree angle. We can now see that it is not rock, but metal. Green metallic tints show through its gray salt-stained surface. As we draw closer, the object takes on the appearance of a massive arm, its top shaped like a hand holding a torch.

REVERSE ANGLE - FAVORING TAYLOR

Frowning with consternation. His horse proceeds at a slow walk.

TRACKING WITH TAYLOR - WHAT HE SEES:

Near the base of the column, where the shore and water meet, are a row of metal spikes. From this angle they look like tank traps.

CLOSER - TAYLOR

Dumbfounded, he slides from his saddle, approaches the spikes. Nova dismounts and follows him.

TAYLOR
(a cry of agony)
My God!

He falls to his knees, buries his head in his hands.

CAMERA SLOWLY DRAWS BACK AND UP to a HIGH ANGLE SHOT

disclosing what Taylor has found. Half-buried in the sand and washed by the waves is the Statue of Liberty.

FADE OUT

Revised Planet of the Apes screenplay - 7/27/67

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

There was an underwater sequence planned for the first Apes sequel, which was scrapped due to budget constraints. The budget for Beneath was significantly less than the original, based on the belief that sequels never make as much money as the original. Furthermore, Fox was having financial problems and reduced the budgets of all films in production, Beneath included. We hope to have more information on this sequence in a future update.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

This sequence appears at the beginning of the screenplay, but was deleted from the film.

FROM BLACK SCREEN

SHOCK-CUT TO EXTREME CLOSEUP:

1 THE EXPLOSION OF ROCKETS as we watch a it speeds away from CAMERA.

CUT TO:

A-l EXT. SPACESHIP (STOCK)

It soars into space.

2 INT. ORBITING SPACESHIP

through whose windows the same light lividly illuminates three space-suited and helmeted ASTRONAUTS -- afraid and curiously hesitant at the controls. We establish a Dual Date Meter showing the year in terms both of "EARTH TIME" and "SELF-TIME." Both panels read: 3955.

ASTRONAUT 1 (MALE)
We made it.

ASTRONAUT 2 (MALE)
So far. But one thing is for certain. Whoever wins the war, there'll be no place on Earth for us.

ASTRONAUT 3 (FEMALE)
Where are we going?

ASTRONAUT 2 (MALE)
(briskly)
Probably to our death. But just possibly --

3 P.O.V. SHOT - EARTH'S RIM WHITENS TO INCANDESCENCE

and a soundless explosion sends a column of fire an mushrooming up towards us.

4 SPACESHIP

Appalled silence. Through the ship's windows the ASTRONAUTS are watching (and we with them) the nuclear disintegration of Earth. The incandescence almost burns through their space helmets. In awed voices:

ASTRONAUT 2
The fools...they've finally destroyed themselves.

ASTRONAUT 1
My God, the earth is no more.

ASTRONAUT 3
And we've escaped.

The spaceship begins to shudder.

ASTRONAUT 2
We have, if we survive the shock wave.

The shock wave of the huge, megatonic explosion hits the spaceship from below. Chaos and pandemonium inside. We multiply normal air turbulence a thousandfold and are bashed, buffeted, whirled, twirled, lifted a hundred miles and dropped fifty, before slowly flattening out to some semblance of equilibrium on (presumably) a new orbit. The Date Meter digits under "EARTH TIME" have begun to click and race erratically.

ASTRONAUT 2 watches intently.

ASTRONAUT 2
The shock must have ... unbalanced the mechanism. I don't understand.

Now he turns to look at another dial.

5 ILLUMINATED PANEL LABELED "AUTOMATIC RE-ENTRY SEQUENCE"

Across it curves the descending graphline which traces optimum re-entry path. Now the lights begin to trace the spacecraft's actual re-entry path, which sometimes slightly deviates to left or right of the graphline but always approximately follows its course.

ASTRONAUT 2
We've been forced out of orbit.

ASTRONAUT 1
(looking at panel)
We're descending.

ASTRONAUT 3
But where?

The spacecraft is seared with flames and smoke as it plummets through space. The windows fog and blacken. ASTRONAUT feverishly works at controls to no response.

A-5 LONG SHOT - SPACECRAFT (STOCK)

The fiery missile descends on our screen.

B-5 FLAMES AND SMOKE leap at the windows.

Descent is rapid, and suddenly through the blackened windows the entry is completed for light can be seen flickering through the charred cracks.

C-5 SUBJECTIVE P.O.V.

We descend rapidly to be swallowed in a cloud bank.

D-5 INT. SPACECRAFT

SHOOTING across the frozen ASTRONAUTS, we see the Date Meter spin to a halt. EARTH TIME 1973 SHIP TIME 3955

E-5 SUBJECTIVE P.O.V. (STOCK)

We are crashing rapidly into the ocean.

F-5 SPLASHDOWN (STOCK)

The spacecraft split the water into churning waves. Then all is still.