The subtext, which Broyles says became less "sub" as the project moved along, was the whole issue of consciousness. "If someone believes that creatures have a soul and spirit that is uniquely theirs, that can hold true across religious and racial lines--and in this case across species--and that's what we all have in common."
Which is not to say that the new "Planet of the Apes" has become an existential art film. Broyles brought spectacle to the project--elaborate, primitive battle sequences (there is no gunpowder in the ape culture), giving the film an epic sweep.
FOR THE RECORD
Los Angeles Times Friday June 29, 2001 Home Edition Part A Part A Page 2 A2 Desk 1 inches; 21 words Type of Material: Correction
Writing credit--A May 6 Sunday Calendar story on "Planet of the Apes" should have said Michael Wilson co-wrote the screenplay of the 1968 original.
For the Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday July 1, 2001 Home Edition Calendar Page 2 Calendar Desk 1 inches; 21 words Type of Material: Correction
Writing credit--A May 6 Sunday Calendar story on "Planet of the Apes" should have said Michael Wilson co-wrote the screenplay of the 1968 original.
The biggest battle over "Planet of the Apes," however, took place before filming. "Big, bloody budget battles," Broyles laughs.
At the ShoWest convention in March 2000, then-Fox studio head Bill Mechanic announced that after almost a decade of talking about it, "Planet of the Apes" would finally be released in July of the following year. But Mechanic left Fox early last summer with the studio in a bit of a slump and reluctant to undertake a project that could potentially spiral out of control.
As Burton and Broyles continued refining the script, it became apparent that efficiency was crucial. "It would have cost us $200 million if we'd done half of what was in that script," says Burton. Fox was thinking about spending half that. Before production began, Broyles agreed to leave the project rather than make Fox's budget-minded revisions, and the team of Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal ('Mighty Joe Young") were brought on to fine-tune and simplify the script.
"These movies get made in prep," says "Apes" executive producer Ralph Winter ('X-Men"), describing its production schedule as a "logistical nightmare" involving constant changes and compromises in order to adhere to the parameters of the film's budget--a 24-hour schedule beginning at 2 in the morning for the 80 days of principal photography, as well as a separate crew for second-unit work.
For those who are curious about some of the ways $100 million can be spent on a single motion picture, Winter cites the preparations for the battle sequence filmed at Lake Powell in Arizona. The dozens of horses that appeared in the sequence had to be cared for and fed for a month before the scene was shot. By mid-winter, the water level of the lake was dangerously low, so a million gallons were pumped in. The sections where the filming took place also had to be heated. "The Humane Society won't let horses in the water if it's too cold," explains Winter, "not to mention the actors."
