Planet Of The Apes (TV series)

Planet of the Apes is a US-based apocalyptic sci-fi TV series. Developed by Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves and co-developed by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver for Disney+ and Buddy+, the series is inspired by the reboot of the Planet of the Apes film series and the novel by Pierre Boulle. The storyline follows Caesar during the Simian Flu Pandemic.

The series, which ran from December 3, 2021 to August 10, 2023, consists of three seasons and ten episodes. It was generally well-received by critics. The live-action Planet of the Apes series was highly celebrated, earning multiple awards and nominations.

Premise
During the Simian Flu Pandemic, most of humanity has been destroyed. The surviving humans are on the verge of war with a group of superior apes under Caesar's leadership. The outcome of this conflict will dictate over Earth's domination. This scenario is set in the live-action series of Planet of the Apes.

Apes
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Humans
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Guest stars
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Cameos

 * Tobey Maguire as Will Rodman Jr., the son of Will Rodman, in a TV series. He was chosen for this role after James Franco was cast for the role of Will Rodman in the film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
 * David Hewlett as Douglas Hunsiker. In the mid-credit scene, an infected Hunsiker arrives at the San Francisco International Airport. He becomes a carrier of the ALZ-113 virus, unknowingly spreading it worldwide.
 * David Oyelowo as Steven Jacobs. A notable scene includes Koba pushing a helicopter, with Jacobs still inside, into the sea. After this event, Jacobs joins the remaining human survivors.

Development
On January 1, 2021, a live-action adaptation series of the 1963 novel and film franchise was greenlit by Disney+ and Buddy+. Ordered straight to series, it will be directed by Wes Ball, known for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes". The series will be written by Mark Bomback, who also contributed in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes". Additionally, Dylan Clark and Matt Reeves are set to serve as the series' executive producers. In February 2021, it was affirmed that the television series will be set in the same universe as initially depicted in the film, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".

Casting
Later that same month, reports confirmed that Andy Serkis will reprise his role as Caesar in the updated ape cast. Other actors including Judy Greer, Toby Kebbell, Nick Thurston, Terry Notary, Karin Konoval, Doc Shaw, Steve Zahn and Devyn Dalton will also be returning to their respective roles.

In March 2021, the cast from the earlier Planet of the Apes films reprised their roles. The actors returning include James Franco as Will Rodman and Freida Pinto as Dr. Caroline Aranha (both from Rise of the Planet of the Apes). The cast from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes -- Jason Clarke (Malcolm), Keri Russell (Ellie), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Alexander), Kirk Acevedo (Carver), Jon Eyez (Foster), Enrique Murciano (Kemp) -- also returned. From War for the Planet of the Apes, Woody Harrelson (the Colonel), Gabriel Chavarria (Preacher) and Amiah Miller (Nova) reprised their roles.

Filming
Principal photography for a undisclosed project commenced in San Francisco, California on February 14, 2021. The project reached completion several months later, officially ending on August 11, 2021.

Visual effects
Weta Digital, known for providing the visual effects for the previous three Planet of the Apes reboot films, will continue their work for the television series. They will use a combination of motion-capture and CGI key-frame animation to create the apes. This process involves performers acting in motion-capture technology, with their movements later being animated with CGI.

Music
The series score was composed by Michael Giacchino, who previously worked on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes. The soundtrack was officially released on December 3, 2021.

Episodes
All episodes has written by Mark Bomback and directed by Wes Ball.

Release
Planet of the Apes, a series that premiered on Disney+ and Buddy+ on December 3, 2021. It was also scheduled for streaming on Hulu and broadcast on ABC in the United States on December 17, 2021.

Home media
The first season was released on DVD and digitally by Buddy Home Entertainment on January 14, 2022. The second season was released on DVD on April 3, 2023, followed by a digital release on April 6, 2023. The third season was released both on DVD and digitally on November 12, 2023, along with a Complete Series bundle.

Audience viewership
According to Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, 'Planet of the Apes' was extremely well-received online from December 4, 2021, to August 11, 2023, garnering more than 210.3 million attention signals. Diesel Labs' data reveals that the series secured the top spot on Facebook and YouTube in terms of engagement for December 2021 releases. Furthermore, it was the most-streamed live-action series in 2021.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 9/10, based on 69 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Caesar as an effective leader of the enjoyable TV series". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 100 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Accolades
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Trivia
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