There’s been buzz going around about a possible Planet of the Apes sequel/prequel project possibility, titled Genesis: Apes. I’ve been hesitant to read too much about it, mostly because I think the charm of the original movies lies in their kitsch factor - something today’s Hollywood isn’t interested in recreating. Another remake like Tim Burton’s masterpiece and nobody will even want to look at the original movies again.

The original news about this prequel came from CHUD, who got a little confirmation on their story through this weekend’s Planet of the Apes marathon on Fox Movie Channel. In between the movies, Fox exec Tom Rothman talked about the movies, and at one point revealed that Fox is very close to finishing the script on the new project, a ”one a kind of prequel story before the first story, with a return to the social thematics that mark the first one, but with an entirely contemporary setting - Earth 2009.” (transcript of comments from CHUD as well - these guys are all over the monkey project).

As I said, Burton’s take on the franchise soured me towards more stories told with the Apes, but I do like that Rothman is talking about a return to the original social themes, which is large part of what I like about the original movies - it’s what makes the kitsch of the costuming so bearable. Maybe there’s room for Genesis: Apes after all. A close to completion script doesn’t mean this is a definite possibility though. Hopefully Fox will focus on putting out a quality movie instead of another attempt at a thrill-ride extravaganza.