Apple’s iTunes Trailer section is showing this rotating banner for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
This rotating banner doesn’t link anywhere yet, but it will probably link to their exclusive trailer tonight at midnight or soon after.
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” looks like a recasting of the original “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” with a new story. Instead of the planet being overthrown by an ape-slave revolt, James Franco‘s character will be a scientist searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s by experimenting on apes. One of his test subjects, Caesar, begins to mutate rapidly and Franco’s character decides to take the ape home for protection from cruel lab doctors.
The film’s website features a four-second clip of an ape (Caesar?) looking up from the ground, but no full trailer appears is available. Some may find the ape’s appearance unnerving. This could be the result of a phenomenon called the Uncanny Valley. It’s a theory in robotics and CGI special effects where robots and computer generated images that closely mirror the human image cause feelings of revulsion and fear in the audience. WETA is creating digital apes for the first time in the franchise. CGI animation has developed to the point where uncanny valley experiences are frequent.
It’s not clear if this film is a prequel to 2001’s “Planet of the Apes,” and the length of time between the two movies could mean that this is another re-launch attempt by 20th Century Fox, but we’ll have to wait for more information to surface.
The film is scheduled for release August 5, 2011
