Planet of the Apes started life in 1963 as a quirky work by Pierre
Boulle, the French literary novelist famous for The Bridge over the
River Kwai. His concept of a world where humans are ruled over by apes
proceeded to become one of the biggest multi-media sensations in
history. The 1968 Charlton Heston motion-picture adaptation of Boulle's
book was celebrated and successful but was just the beginning. By 1973,
said picture had spawned four sequels. It then spun off a live-action TV
series, which in turn spun off the animated TV show Return to the Planet
of the Apes. With this, comic books, novelizations, and a tsunami of
merchandising, the late '60s and first half of the '70s had a distinctly
simian flavor. A new generation was introduced to the concept when, in
2001, Tim Burton's updating of the series appeared in cinemas. This
itself was rebooted a decade later in the form of Rise of the Planet of
the Apes and its two sequels. Yet despite all the fantasy (and
money-chasing), the series has always been marked by thoughtfulness,
exploring serious themes alien to most franchises. Planet of the Apes:
The Complete History explores every aspect of this phenomenon--from
books to films, comic books to television shows, and video games to
merchandise--providing an overview that is truly definitive. With the
help of new and exclusive interviews with Planet of the Apes producers,
directors, writers, actors, and makeup artists, Sean Egan attempts to
gain an understanding of how a media property changed the world.
