Taylor has written down what he remembers of human history, and tells Cornelius "I really miss movies. Cornelius witnesses a human called George teaching a class of humans.
Taylor explains that he has spent his time in the Forbidden Zone teaching humans to speak, to read, to think. To the amazement of Cornelius, both the human kids can speak. Duke’s mother has died (as, apparently, has Pax’s). There Cornelius is reunited with an old friend - Taylor, with his young son Duke ( "named after John Wayne"), and Duke's friend Ariel. As Cornelius prepares to abandon his quest, the two are abducted by humans, who drag them into a system of underground tunnels leading to subterranean New York. After a long search, avoiding the battlefields, they find no evidence. Shortly afterwards, Cornelius and his young son Pax travel into the Forbidden Zone. As he is dragged out of Izan’s office by the privates, he offers to bring proof of the human civilisation. Cornelius pleads for peace, as he maintains the humans destroyed themselves in the same way many centuries earlier. He introduces himself as the head of the ‘Simiantarian Peace Organisation’, but Izan remembers him as the chimp "laughed out of his psychology and archeology positions for his absurd theories on anthropoid history". In Izan's military command headquarters, Cornelius bursts in, followed by two gorilla privates. Occasionally, the motorized military vehicles, which they have managed to restore, roll past. In Ape Square, chained and mute humans clean up the debris under the supervision of the gorillas, who control the city. They kill Tafara and Zantheus, and many other leaders. Just as the treaty is signed however, the symbolic handshake is ripped apart as General Izan's renegade gorillas open fire. Zantheus, proclaims a great day for Apekind as peace has been restored. Three orangutan judges - the eldest of the ape population and the last of their species - preside over the ceremony. Decorated with medals, Minister Elizar Tafara is the overall gorilla leader, while the eye patch-wearing Secretary Nebb Gurio represents the chimps. In ‘Ape Square’ - the central plaza of Ape City - the ape civil war is about to be brought to an end.
A bitter battle ensues before the narrative moves forward. He is General Izan, at the head of an army of gorillas, met on the sandy wastes by an opposing chimpanzee army. SynopsisĪs a female narrator begins to tell her tale, the action opens in a desert, where a lone rider appears over the crest of a sand dune.
The first revision was dated 21 December 1988, "written by Adam Rifkin from a story by Cassian Elwes and Adam Rifkin." The film project was also referred to as 'Return to the Planet of the Apes: World At War'. Rifkin was asked to rewrite his Return to the Planet of the Apes script through various drafts. Days before the film was to commence pre-production however, new studio executives arrived at Fox, which led to creative differences between Rifkin and the studio. Tom Cruise and Charlie Sheen were considered for the lead role. The project was put on fast track and the vastly experienced Rick Baker was hired to design the prosthetic makeup, with Danny Elfman composing a film score. Having independent film experience, I promised I could write and direct a huge-looking film for a reasonable price and budget, like 'Aliens'." By September 1988 it was reported that Planet of the Apes: The Final Battle would be filmed the following year, with a Rifkin written and directed story "centering on the child of Cornelius' son and Taylor's daughter-the characters originally played by Roddy McDowall and Charlton Heston".
'Gladiator' did the same movie without the ape costumes. A real sword-and-sandal spectacular, monkey style. A descendant of Charlton Heston's character would eventually lead a human slave revolt against the oppressive Roman-esque apes. "but not a sequel to the fifth film - an alternate sequel to the first film." The concept was that "the ape empire had reached its Roman era. Being a fan of the original Planet of the Apes, Fox commissioned Rifkin to write a sequel.
In 1988, Twentieth Century Fox executive Craig Baumgarten, impressed with Adam Rifkin's Never on Tuesday, brought Rifkin in to the studio to pitch ideas for films.