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EW.com explains ''Planet of the Apes'' | apesbq_l
HUMAN NATURE Wahlberg and Warren join forces to combat ''Planet'''s ape army
Planet of the Apes: Sam Emerson

Ever since the $100 million ''Planet of the Apes'' remake went into production, rumors have circulated about multiple endings, the lurid possibility of interspecies mating, and the need for last minute reshoots. With ''Batman'' director Tim Burton at the helm and Mark Wahlberg replacing Charlton Heston as the interstellar traveler who stumbles upon a simian-dominated world, only one thing is certain: This ''Planet'' is from an entirely different galaxy.

EW.com answers your burning questions about Burton's update of the 1968 sci-fi classic. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

In the original, Heston's character discovers that the Planet of the Apes is actually the Earth of the future when he sees a ruined Statue of Liberty. Is the new movie also set on Earth? And which is truer to the Pierre Boulle novel on which both ''Planet''s are based?
There is ambiguity about ''Apes''' exact locale. But, Wahlberg insists, ''it is definitely not Earth.'' However, that doesn't mean French scribe Boulle would applaud the accuracy of Burton's adaptation. ''Boulle ended the book at the Eiffel Tower,'' explains Richard Zanuck, producer of both the original and the remake. ''In my files, I have long letters from him saying, 'You can't use the Statue of Liberty. It's a big mistake!''' At least they opted for a monument that was a gift from France.

Helena Bonham Carter plays a human-rights activist who takes pity on Walhberg's hero. Is interspecies sex shown or implied?
Wahlberg says his hero is as smitten with his chimp pal as he is with his human ally (Estella Warren). ''I kiss Helena; Estella kisses me,'' he points out. ''She grabs my face, so I have to kiss her. But with Helena, I'm the one who moves in.'' As for interspecies nookie, it's strictly among the great apes: Where the '68 flick showed ape segregation, the new movie depicts a swinging orangutan-chimp couple (Glenn Shadix and Lisa Marie, both Tim Burton regulars).

Heston's character died in the 1970 sequel, ''Beneath the Planet of the Apes.'' How does Burton manage to bring him back for a cameo?
Zanuck says Heston wondered the same thing when he was asked to appear in the new movie. ''Chuck had only agreed to do [''Beneath''] on two conditions: one, that he only have to work six days; the other, that we kill him, so that he'd never be asked to do it again,'' recalls Zanuck. ''When I asked him to be in this movie, he said, 'How can you do that? You killed me.' Easy fix: This time, Heston plays a different character -- the father of the evil chimp general Thade (Tim Roth).

Roth is a vocal supporter of gun control. Heston is president of the National Rifle Association. How did the two feel about doing a scene together, which actually revolves around a gun?
Roth admits that he was ''not comfortable'' aping opposite Heston. ''I come from the exact opposite end of the political spectrum,'' says the English actor. ''Burton had to persuade me to do it. Finally, I decided that it was okay because it's fiction.'' And Heston had no problem with his brief scene even though it highlights the violent nature of firearms, says Zanuck. ''I was apprehensive when we wrote the scene and sent it to him. We didn't hear back from him for a while. Finally, I called him up and asked him what he thought of the lines. He said, 'Oh yeah, I think they're wonderful.' I thought, 'Oh, thank God, we got away with the gun.'''

The Internet has been flooded with rumors that Burton shot five different endings for the film. What's the truth?
The director insists that the conclusion we see is the only one he filmed. ''There wasn't time to do anything else,'' Burton says. However, he clearly chose to keep some cast members in the dark about the ending. The day before the July 23 premiere, when a reporter described the movie's surprise denouement to Warren, the actress turned to her publicist and sputtered, ''Is THAT the ending? Seriously?'' In her copy of the script, Warren says, the film ended with her final scene (which is now the movie's penultimate one). ''Everybody's been asking me, and I've been answering, 'Yeah, there's only one ending.' I've been saying that the entire time. But [the film's actual ending] isn't the one I knew about.''

The ending we see is a stunner in the manner of the '68 film, and it, too, involves an instantly recognizable location. Was it intended to make the audience ask burning questions of their own as they walk out of the theater?
Hey, this is Hollywood. If the box office is big, we can expect to visit this ''Planet'' again. ''I'm not saying there's going to be a sequel because nobody has said that yet,'' says Zanuck. ''But the questions that the ending provokes will be answered in another installment.'' Huh? Walhberg is no more helpful: ''Well, I get the ending. So if I explain it, I'm going to have to give it away. If you see it again, you'll get it. The sole purpose of these interviews is to promote the movie, so go see it three times!'' In other words, stop asking so many questions, you damn dirty humans!


Posted Jul 27, 2001 | Order Article Reprints