Planet of the Apes is one of the most successful and durable science fiction franchises in Hollywood history. Starting in 1968 with the original film, the Apes series has generated more than $2.1 billion in box office grosses over the course of just nine movies, with a highly-anticipated 10th entry, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, due for release this May. The property has also spawned both a live-action and animated TV series, books, comics, video games, and toys – the latter produced in the wake of the first film’s success and arguably the template for future movie merchandising campaigns.
And yet, as we’ve seen over and over again with blockbuster pop culture milestones like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous others, Hollywood at the beginning was loathe to touch the property. After publicist-turned-producer Arthur P. Jacobs secured the rights to the novel upon which the original film was based,...
And yet, as we’ve seen over and over again with blockbuster pop culture milestones like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and numerous others, Hollywood at the beginning was loathe to touch the property. After publicist-turned-producer Arthur P. Jacobs secured the rights to the novel upon which the original film was based,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
For most of us, the Planet of the Apes movies have always been around. Spanning five decades and ten movies – and counting – it’s hard to imagine a world without that race of hyper-intelligent monkeys and their everlasting war against man. We take this extended universe for granted, but it wasn’t always this way. It’s probably not hard to believe that at one time, the concept of a world populated by talking apes wasn’t thought of as a box office draw, and if it hadn’t been for the determination of a handful of true believers in the material, we may never have gotten one movie, let alone an entire franchise. So let’s go back in time a bit to a world without Dr. Zaius and the gang and find out Wtf Happened to Planet of the Apes?
We’re going back as far as 1963, when...
We’re going back as far as 1963, when...
- 1/31/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
This Star Wars: Ahsoka article contains spoilers.
Throughout this season of Ahsoka, the planet Peridea and the galaxy it lies in have maintained an intriguing air of mystery. When the Eye of Sion and its crew finally arrive in episode 6 “Far, Far, Away,” it’s revealed that the planet was once the ancient home of the Nightsisters – witchy Force-wielders that Lady Morgan Elsbeth descends from. Baylan Skoll also mentions the childrens stories of Peridea that he grew up hearing in the Jedi Temple to his apprentice Shin Hati before he leaves her in search of a greater power on the planet.
What this greater power is isn’t fully revealed until the final moments of the Ahsoka season finale “The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord,” when we see Baylan standing on the stone hand of a massive sculpture, suggesting that the Nightsisters weren’t the only Force-wielders that called...
Throughout this season of Ahsoka, the planet Peridea and the galaxy it lies in have maintained an intriguing air of mystery. When the Eye of Sion and its crew finally arrive in episode 6 “Far, Far, Away,” it’s revealed that the planet was once the ancient home of the Nightsisters – witchy Force-wielders that Lady Morgan Elsbeth descends from. Baylan Skoll also mentions the childrens stories of Peridea that he grew up hearing in the Jedi Temple to his apprentice Shin Hati before he leaves her in search of a greater power on the planet.
What this greater power is isn’t fully revealed until the final moments of the Ahsoka season finale “The Jedi, The Witch, and The Warlord,” when we see Baylan standing on the stone hand of a massive sculpture, suggesting that the Nightsisters weren’t the only Force-wielders that called...
- 10/5/2023
- by Brynnaarens
- Den of Geek
This article contains spoilers for the "Ahsoka" season 1 finale, "The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord."
Even with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) escaping to Dathomir, the first season of "Ahsoka" ends on a hopeful note for our heroes. While Ezra (Eman Esfandi) returns home and reunites with Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) hang back in Peridea to help the Noti community feel safe after a patch of chaos. As the two converse and understand one another better, Ahsoka notices a mysterious white owl sitting on a rock and watches the bird with some curiosity. This bird is a Convor named Morai, with personal ties to Ahsoka and the Mortis Gods, whose statues are shown towards the end of the episode.
In order to understand the connection between this bird and those humongous statues, we must first understand what a Convor signifies. Convorees,...
Even with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) escaping to Dathomir, the first season of "Ahsoka" ends on a hopeful note for our heroes. While Ezra (Eman Esfandi) returns home and reunites with Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) hang back in Peridea to help the Noti community feel safe after a patch of chaos. As the two converse and understand one another better, Ahsoka notices a mysterious white owl sitting on a rock and watches the bird with some curiosity. This bird is a Convor named Morai, with personal ties to Ahsoka and the Mortis Gods, whose statues are shown towards the end of the episode.
In order to understand the connection between this bird and those humongous statues, we must first understand what a Convor signifies. Convorees,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Ahsoka" episode 8 — "The Jedi, The Witch, and the Warlord."
Well, the season finale of "Ahsoka" is somehow already here, and it definitely left us wanting more. That's not to say that episode 8, "The Jedi, The Witch and The Warlord," was lackluster or anticlimactic, necessarily. There was plenty of action and intrigue as Ahsoka teamed up with Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren on the planet Peridea to try and prevent Thrawn and his army of death troopers from escaping out of exile. Now that Thrawn has finally been introduced into live-action after appearing in "Star Wars Rebels" and multiple novels by Timothy Zahn, he was finally given the spotlight he truly deserves. Then, the credits rolled.
As the last few minutes of the finale came to pass, multiple threads popped up that were all incredibly compelling, suggesting that there is much more to come.
Well, the season finale of "Ahsoka" is somehow already here, and it definitely left us wanting more. That's not to say that episode 8, "The Jedi, The Witch and The Warlord," was lackluster or anticlimactic, necessarily. There was plenty of action and intrigue as Ahsoka teamed up with Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren on the planet Peridea to try and prevent Thrawn and his army of death troopers from escaping out of exile. Now that Thrawn has finally been introduced into live-action after appearing in "Star Wars Rebels" and multiple novels by Timothy Zahn, he was finally given the spotlight he truly deserves. Then, the credits rolled.
As the last few minutes of the finale came to pass, multiple threads popped up that were all incredibly compelling, suggesting that there is much more to come.
- 10/4/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Buddy Van Horn, Director of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Any Which Way You Can’ and ‘The Dead Pool,’ Dies at 92
Wayne “Buddy” Van Horn, Clint Eastwood’s longtime stunt double and sometimes director, died on May 11, according to an obituary from the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. He was 92.
Van Horn served as stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including “The Enforcer,” “The Gauntlet” and “Sudden Impact.” He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s “Magnum Force” before taking on full directing duties on 1980’s “Any Which Way You Can,” 1988’s “The Dead Pool,” the fifth and final appearance of Eastwood’s iconic character, “Dirty” Harry Callahan, and then 1989’s “Pink Cadillac.”
A skilled horseman from a young age, Van Horn loved to tell stories of riding his pony for miles in the valleys and canyons surrounding North Hollywood as a kid. His rugged skillset earned him a gig riding horses as an extra in westerns. However, on the set of his second film, Van Horn...
Van Horn served as stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including “The Enforcer,” “The Gauntlet” and “Sudden Impact.” He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s “Magnum Force” before taking on full directing duties on 1980’s “Any Which Way You Can,” 1988’s “The Dead Pool,” the fifth and final appearance of Eastwood’s iconic character, “Dirty” Harry Callahan, and then 1989’s “Pink Cadillac.”
A skilled horseman from a young age, Van Horn loved to tell stories of riding his pony for miles in the valleys and canyons surrounding North Hollywood as a kid. His rugged skillset earned him a gig riding horses as an extra in westerns. However, on the set of his second film, Van Horn...
- 5/31/2021
- by Alex Noble
- The Wrap
Wayne “Buddy” Van Horn, longtime stunt double for Clint Eastwood and director of Eastwood’s films Any Which Way You Can, The Dead Pool and Pink Cadillac, died May 11, The Los Angeles Times reported. He was 92.
Van Horn was credited as the stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including 1976’s The Enforcer, 1977’s The Gauntlet and 1983’s Sudden Impact. He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s Magnum Force and The Rookie. As an actor, Van Horn’s most prominent onscreen appeareance was as Marshal Jim Duncan in 1973’s High Plains Drifter. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious Stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. As Eastwood’s stunt double, Duncan was cast in the role to suggest that he and the Stranger could be the same person. Van Horn is the murdered Marshal who was planning to report a gold...
Van Horn was credited as the stunt coordinator on Eastwood’s films from 1972 to 2011, including 1976’s The Enforcer, 1977’s The Gauntlet and 1983’s Sudden Impact. He also served as second unit director on Eastwood’s Magnum Force and The Rookie. As an actor, Van Horn’s most prominent onscreen appeareance was as Marshal Jim Duncan in 1973’s High Plains Drifter. The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious Stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. As Eastwood’s stunt double, Duncan was cast in the role to suggest that he and the Stranger could be the same person. Van Horn is the murdered Marshal who was planning to report a gold...
- 5/31/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the more satisfying costume adventures of the ‘sixties is also one of its star’s best vehicles. Charlton Heston was born to play bigger-than-life historical types, and his Norman knight in this film has the benefit of an intelligent screenplay and a terrific supporting ensemble. This hero’s armor doesn’t shine — he’s more than willing to risk everything to possess a pagan woman with whom he’s become infatuated. Many would-be epics want us to think that the charms of unlikely damsels like Virginia Mayo and Claudette Colbert changed the course of history, but this show makes it seem more than possible. Plus, it features great action scenes and a terrific music score by Jerome Moross.
The War Lord
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Special Edition / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Guy Stockwell,...
The War Lord
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Special Edition / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Guy Stockwell,...
- 1/14/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Alex Westthorp Jun 17, 2019
Not every Time Lord on Doctor Who is as benevolent as our beloved Doctor, and The Master/Missy is only the start.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Fifty years ago this Summer, the landmark Doctor Who story The War Games was transmitted on BBC One. Notable for being the last adventure to star Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, the serial also introduced us to the Doctor's alien race: The Time Lords. We learn the Doctor is a renegade, albeit a benign one. To celebrate this anniversary, Den Of Geek looks at some of the other renegade Time Lords the Doctor has encountered over the years.
The War Lord
Played by: Philip Madoc
Appearance: The War Games (1969)
The War Lord is a sinister-looking bespectacled man, seemingly in control of the various war zones.
read more: Doctor Who Season 12 to Feature Judoon
This role was Philip...
Not every Time Lord on Doctor Who is as benevolent as our beloved Doctor, and The Master/Missy is only the start.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Fifty years ago this Summer, the landmark Doctor Who story The War Games was transmitted on BBC One. Notable for being the last adventure to star Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, the serial also introduced us to the Doctor's alien race: The Time Lords. We learn the Doctor is a renegade, albeit a benign one. To celebrate this anniversary, Den Of Geek looks at some of the other renegade Time Lords the Doctor has encountered over the years.
The War Lord
Played by: Philip Madoc
Appearance: The War Games (1969)
The War Lord is a sinister-looking bespectacled man, seemingly in control of the various war zones.
read more: Doctor Who Season 12 to Feature Judoon
This role was Philip...
- 6/17/2019
- Den of Geek
Irony of ironies, Franklin Schaffner’s 1965 epic, The War Lord, was based on a play called The Lovers. Stalwart Charlton Heston plays a medieval knight tasked with defending a Druid village where he promptly falls in love with local lass Rosemary Forsyth. Richard Boone co-stars along with Maurice Evans who would reunite with Schaffner and Heston under far different circumstances in 1968’s Planet of the Apes.
The post The War Lord appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post The War Lord appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 10/15/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
If Matt Reeves’ much-anticipated “War on the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Fox) opens Friday to an expected $70 million or more, that would put it ahead (in domestic returns at least) of such recent high altitude-franchise stumbles as “Alien: Covenant,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” and “Transformers.”
Several factors contribute to the elevated respect for the series, going back almost half a century to when the first film, never intended as anything other than a standalone, became a surprise success in 1968.
Let’s track some curious highlights on the unusual trajectory that brings us to the ninth entry in the longest running English-language film series other than James Bond:
The Genesis Was a Stand-Alone Novel
Pierre Boule was well-known for the World War II novel “The Bridge on the River Kwai” which became a David Lean Best Picture winner and massive worldwide hit in the late 1950s.
Several factors contribute to the elevated respect for the series, going back almost half a century to when the first film, never intended as anything other than a standalone, became a surprise success in 1968.
Let’s track some curious highlights on the unusual trajectory that brings us to the ninth entry in the longest running English-language film series other than James Bond:
The Genesis Was a Stand-Alone Novel
Pierre Boule was well-known for the World War II novel “The Bridge on the River Kwai” which became a David Lean Best Picture winner and massive worldwide hit in the late 1950s.
- 7/13/2017
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Hal Needham, a stuntman and film director, died in Los Angeles on Friday morning at 82, a representative for Needham told TheWrap. The cause of Needham’s death was not immediately available. Also read: Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2013 Born in Memphis, Tenn., in 1931, Needham got his break in the business as a stunt double in the TV western “Have Gun, Will Travel,” and provided stunt work in films such as “How the West Was Won,” “The War Lord” and “Little Big Man.” He frequently served as a stunt double for actor Burt Reynolds. Needham’s working relationship with Reynolds extended when Needham branched.
- 10/25/2013
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Stuntman-turned-movie director Hal Needham has died, at the age of 82. Needham broke into TV and movies in the late 1950s, doing stunt work in such films as Pork Chop Hill, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, How The West Was Won, Donovan’s Reef, Major Dundee, In Harm’s Way, The War Lord, Hells Angels On Wheels, Little Big Man, and many others. His big break, in terms of steady work, came in 1957, when he was hired as Richard Boone’s stunt double on the Western TV series Have Gun—Will Travel, where he also served as stunt ...
- 10/25/2013
- avclub.com
Time's a healer, so they say. Well whoever “they” are, “they” must have got their facts wrong, since time is anything but a benign presence. Time brings two spectres of evil: Old age, with its saggy, wrinkly skin, creaking bones and chilblains. And of course, death. It's inevitable of course, but that still doesn't make a loss of life any easier for that person's friends and family.
Between them, Halliday, Chinnery and Madoc have graced many iconic TV programmes for the past 50 years, whether it's A For Andromeda, The Champions, The Avengers, The Goodies or Casualty. They were the sort of actors who turn up in these programmes and you'd go “Oh yeah, it's that guy again...” So of course, it's no real surprise that their CVs contained Doctor Who. I actually read an obituary for Madoc the other day which snootily said something along the lines of 'Madoc appeared...
Between them, Halliday, Chinnery and Madoc have graced many iconic TV programmes for the past 50 years, whether it's A For Andromeda, The Champions, The Avengers, The Goodies or Casualty. They were the sort of actors who turn up in these programmes and you'd go “Oh yeah, it's that guy again...” So of course, it's no real surprise that their CVs contained Doctor Who. I actually read an obituary for Madoc the other day which snootily said something along the lines of 'Madoc appeared...
- 3/15/2012
- Shadowlocked
James Farentino, a handsome, darkly intense actor who also made headlines thanks to his fiery private life, died of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital on Tuesday after a lengthy illness, a family spokesman told the Associated Press. He was 73. A "Most Promising Newcomer" Golden Globe winner in 1967, Farentino racked up 100 TV credits, including his 1978 Emmy-nominated Saint Peter on the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (said to be his favorite role) and recurring roles on Dynasty, Melrose Place, The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and ER, as the estranged father to George Clooney's character. Among his four wives were the actresses Elizabeth Ashley and Michelle Lee,...
- 1/25/2012
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
Shrewd film publicist who later achieved success as a producer
A masochistic Hollywood decree insists that press agents must be depicted on screen as loathsome toadying creatures, and movie moguls as vulgar, mercenary despots. Walter Seltzer, who has died aged 96, was both a press agent and a producer, but he failed to conform to either of the self-perpetuating stereotypes. As a press agent he was persuasive rather than pushy; as a producer, he believed in consensus decision-making.
Undoubtedly his greatest achievement as a press agent was in his promotion of Marty (1955), a gentle, small-scale study of the mundane with no star names. Seltzer believed so much in the Harold Hecht/Burt Lancaster production that the promotional campaign for the film was more expensive than the film itself: $400,000 compared to $343,000. Among Seltzer's tactics was his sending prints of the film to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,...
A masochistic Hollywood decree insists that press agents must be depicted on screen as loathsome toadying creatures, and movie moguls as vulgar, mercenary despots. Walter Seltzer, who has died aged 96, was both a press agent and a producer, but he failed to conform to either of the self-perpetuating stereotypes. As a press agent he was persuasive rather than pushy; as a producer, he believed in consensus decision-making.
Undoubtedly his greatest achievement as a press agent was in his promotion of Marty (1955), a gentle, small-scale study of the mundane with no star names. Seltzer believed so much in the Harold Hecht/Burt Lancaster production that the promotional campaign for the film was more expensive than the film itself: $400,000 compared to $343,000. Among Seltzer's tactics was his sending prints of the film to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,...
- 4/5/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
By Lee Pfeiffer
Warner Archive has released the 1968 thriller Kona Coast, based on the novel Bimini Gal by popular mystery writer John D. MacDonald. The modestly-budgeted production reminds one of John Ford's Donovan's Reef in the sense that one suspects both movies were primarily used as justifications for cast and crew to take a nice vacation in Hawaii. Boone plays Sam Moran, a charter boat captain living the good life in Honolulu, where he routinely indulges in drinking binges and womanizing. When his teenaged daughter falls in with a local high living drug peddler named Kryer (Steve Inhat), she is accidentally given a heroin overdose at a drug-fueled party. Rather than deal with the consequences, Kryer orders her to be murdered. When her body washes ashore, the police think it's a drowning but Sam suspects foul play from the beginning. As he begins his own investigation, he is severely beaten,...
Warner Archive has released the 1968 thriller Kona Coast, based on the novel Bimini Gal by popular mystery writer John D. MacDonald. The modestly-budgeted production reminds one of John Ford's Donovan's Reef in the sense that one suspects both movies were primarily used as justifications for cast and crew to take a nice vacation in Hawaii. Boone plays Sam Moran, a charter boat captain living the good life in Honolulu, where he routinely indulges in drinking binges and womanizing. When his teenaged daughter falls in with a local high living drug peddler named Kryer (Steve Inhat), she is accidentally given a heroin overdose at a drug-fueled party. Rather than deal with the consequences, Kryer orders her to be murdered. When her body washes ashore, the police think it's a drowning but Sam suspects foul play from the beginning. As he begins his own investigation, he is severely beaten,...
- 4/1/2011
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Charlton Heston plays a Norman knight in this impressive costume drama set in 11th-century France
Director Franklin J Schaffner (1920-1989) went into TV immediately after service during the second world war with the Us Navy and built a considerable reputation during New York's golden age of live TV drama before turning to the cinema with a succession of intelligent, visually striking pictures. Patton is most famous, but before that he had two happy collaborations with Charlton Heston on Planet of the Apes and the less well-known The War Lord. In the latter, a highly impressive costume drama set in 11th-century France, Heston (right) plays a Norman knight going dangerously astray when assigned to a remote garrison on the fringe of Europe, where Christianity confronts paganism. The literate script is by British novelist John Collier and Millard Kaufman (author of Bad Day at Black Rock), the music is by Jerome Moross...
Director Franklin J Schaffner (1920-1989) went into TV immediately after service during the second world war with the Us Navy and built a considerable reputation during New York's golden age of live TV drama before turning to the cinema with a succession of intelligent, visually striking pictures. Patton is most famous, but before that he had two happy collaborations with Charlton Heston on Planet of the Apes and the less well-known The War Lord. In the latter, a highly impressive costume drama set in 11th-century France, Heston (right) plays a Norman knight going dangerously astray when assigned to a remote garrison on the fringe of Europe, where Christianity confronts paganism. The literate script is by British novelist John Collier and Millard Kaufman (author of Bad Day at Black Rock), the music is by Jerome Moross...
- 7/31/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Certain directors have made themselves right at home in the genre of science fiction -- George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron are three directors who come to mind for whom their science fiction films are their cultural calling cards. But scifi flicks aren't only made by specialists -- some of the great films, in fact, are by directors who found their greatest fame outside the genre. Now, not every great director is a great fit for science fiction -- see Robert Altman's Quintet or Stanley Donen's Saturn 3 for evidence of that -- but for the curious, here's a sampling of the ones who were.Franklin J. Schaffner Schaffner won his directing Oscar for Patton and made his technical bones as an innovative television director who brought movie techniques to the small screen in shows like Studio 90. But science fiction fans know him as the director of Planet of the Apes,...
Certain directors have made themselves right at home in the genre of science fiction -- George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron are three directors who come to mind for whom their science fiction films are their cultural calling cards. But scifi flicks aren't only made by specialists -- some of the great films, in fact, are by directors who found their greatest fame outside the genre. Now, not every great director is a great fit for science fiction -- see Robert Altman's Quintet or Stanley Donen's Saturn 3 for evidence of that -- but for the curious, here's a sampling of the ones who were.Franklin J. Schaffner Schaffner won his directing Oscar for Patton and made his technical bones as an innovative television director who brought movie techniques to the small screen in shows like Studio 90. But science fiction fans know him as the director of Planet of the Apes,...
- 4/13/2010
- by John Scalzi
- AMC Filmcritic's John Scalzi on Scifi
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