Sci-fi expert Wes Ball was inspired by one movie in particular while working on Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom inspired by one movie in particular. It’s a relentless survival adventure.
How do you breathe new life into a film series that has been around for over half a century? That’s exactly the question director Wes Ball had to ask himself when he began work on Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom. The tenth film in the iconic sci-fi saga jumps 300 years into the future and shows us an Earth ruled by apes.
When Ball developed the story, however, he did not take his cue from the classics of science fiction cinema. Rather, it was a mixture of survival thriller and historical adventure that caught his attention: the new Planet of the Apes film was largely inspired by Apocalypto, which was released in 2006.
An adventure film for a sci-fi blockbuster: how Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto inspired Planet of the Apes 4
Apocalypto was directed by Mel Gibson and features incredibly brutal scenes. The story is set in the early 16th century and begins in a Mayan village on the North American peninsula of Yucatán, which is attacked by a hostile tribe before the Spanish colonization of Central America begins
Here you can watch the trailer for Apocalypto:
Before the theatrical release of Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom, we had the opportunity to talk to Ball about the making of his movie. We also asked him about his cinematic inspirations.
Ball replied:
I basically went back to all the Planet of the Apes movies, but Apocalypto was the first big inspiration [for Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom]. I wasn’t so much interested in the revenge element. I was more touched by the story of this innocent, naïve, small tribe that is attacked by another tribe and suddenly realizes that the world is much bigger. A journey of discovery then begins.
In addition to Apocalypto, Ball reveals another great inspiration:
This motif is also in another movie that I definitely want to mention: In the beginning was the fire from 1981. Many people probably don’t even know that one, but it’s very similar to our movie. It’s about the first cavemen who discover fire, which changes their world forever.
Two great adventure movies: Apocalypto and In the Beginning was Fire have given wings to Planet of the Apes 4
While Apocalypto was filmed entirely in the Mayan language Mayathan, not a single intelligible word is spoken in In the Beginning was Fire. Instead, writer Anthony Burgess developed his own language for the film to make the cavemen’s communication as authentic as possible.
More articles about Planet of the Apes 4:
Our big interview with Wes Ball on Planet of the Apes 4
Planet of the Apes 4 is the best Avatar replacement we’ll get this year
What we know about the Planet of the Apes 5 and 6 sequels
Ball is not the only Hollywood director to be inspired by this work. Roland Emmerich also cited In the Beginning was Fire as an important precursor for his 2008 adventure epic 10,000 BC. Thanks to New Kingdom, the DNA of the classic can now also be found in the Planet of the Apes universe
