War for the Planet of the Apes is currently dominating the box office, and for good reason. Matt Reeves‘ conclusion to the trilogy managed to bring the house down with its action sequences, while still being an emotional masterpiece.
With that in mind, much of the success of this Apes franchise lies in the process of turning actors into photo-realistic primates.
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War for the Planet of the Apes: Official Review
From the direction of Reeves, to the performances of stars like Andy Serkis and Steve Zahn, to the visual effects of the folks at Weta Digital, the process is mind-boggling, to say the least.
Ahead of the film’s premiere, Reeves took some time to talk with PopCulture about bringing the apes to life, and what it’s like to watch a character go from an actor in a motion-capture suit, to a real ape on the big screen.
Reeves stated that the movie goes through so many edits before it’s done, that the apes and their actors have slowly become one in his mind.
Visual Effects Supervisor on Bringing War for the Planet of the Apes to Life
“I can’t see Caesar without seeing Andy [Serkis]. I can’t see Bad Ape without seeing Steve [Zahn]. I can’t see Maurice or Rocket without seeing Karin [Konoval] or Terry [Notary]. It’s really a very painstaking process about translating the emotion from these performances onto the faces of these photo-real apes.”
Check out the full interview with Matt Reeves in the video above, and check out War for the Planet of the Apes, now playing in theaters.
Photo Credit: Chernin Entertainment
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
