KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Originally Had A Much Darker Ending - SPOILERS

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Originally Had A Much Darker Ending - SPOILERS

The first instalment in Disney/20th Century Studios' relaunched Planet of the Apes franchise is now in theaters, and star Freya Allan has revealed that the movie originally had a much darker ending...

By MarkCassidy - May 12, 2024 02:05 PM EST
Filed Under: Sci-Fi
Source: Via SFF Gazette

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters, which means key plot details have begun to find their way online.

In a new interview with THR, star Freya Allan (Mae) discusses the ending and how the original conclusion played out in far less subtle - and quite a bit darker - fashion.

Major spoilers follow.

During the climactic battle, Mae makes a fateful decision to blow open the floodgates and destroy the human tech the villainous Proximus was trying to get his hands on, killing hundreds of apes in the process.

“It’s not what she wants to do," Allan explains. "But it’s that, or Proximus has all these weapons and humanity is screwed. She’s gone through so much, she’s lost all the people she cares about, which was a large part of how I justified everything that she did,” Allan says. “So she can’t throw that away at the last minute because of this one ape [Noa]. In that moment, I know that Mae hopes that he’s going to be okay. But what else could she do? It’s not easy, but that’s the point.”

Later, Mae travels to Noa's Eagle Clan village, where she learns that her simian friend survived - but she's not taking any chances!

In a chilling reveal, we see that Mae is holding a gun behind her back in case Noa is out for revenge for the apes that died in the flood. It comes across as a precautionary measure, but Allan reveals that the implications of the scene were originally going to be much more sinister: Mae went there specifically to kill Noa.

“In the scene that I shot, Mae was going there to kill him because he scares her. His intelligence scares her. Mae doesn’t want to kill him, but she feels she has to. Originally, you actually see her pull the gun on Noa, but his back is turned to her. And so you think, ‘Oh my God, is she about to shoot him?’ Mae is crying as she’s doing it. And then she doesn’t. The minute he mentions Raka’s name, she puts the gun down,” Allan recalls. “But then in the edit, they wanted it to feel more subtle, and I honestly way prefer what they’ve done with it. It’s so much smarter and really allows you to think more. So it becomes a very emotional goodbye, one with tragic, lingering doom.”

Assuming there will be another Apes movie (more are planned, but well likely be box office-dependant), does this mean Noa and Mae will find themselves on opposing sides of the conflict? Have you been to see KOTPOTA yet? If so, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise, set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, in which apes are the dominant species living harmoniously and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is directed by Wes Ball (the Maze Runner trilogy) and stars Owen Teague (IT), Freya Allan (The Witcher), Kevin Durand (Locke & Key), Peter Macon (Shameless), and William H. Macy (Fargo).

The screenplay is by Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Patrick Aison (Prey), based on characters created by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. The producers are Wes Ball, Joe Hartwick, Jr., p.g.a. (The Maze Runner), Rick Jaffa, p.g.a., Amanda Silver, p.g.a., Jason Reed, p.g.a. (Mulan), with Peter Chernin (the Planet of the Apes trilogy) and Jenno Topping (Ford v. Ferrari) serving as executive producers.

X-MEN's Jennifer Lawrence To Star In A24 Graphic Novel Adaptation WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?
Related:

X-MEN's Jennifer Lawrence To Star In A24 Graphic Novel Adaptation WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?

RUMOR: DC Studios' Wonder Woman-Less TV Series PARADISE LOST May Have Found Its Creative Team
Recommended For You:

RUMOR: DC Studios' Wonder Woman-Less TV Series PARADISE LOST May Have Found Its Creative Team

DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and... [MORE]

ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 5/12/2024, 2:24 PM
Os p9
SuperCat
SuperCat - 5/12/2024, 2:36 PM
User Comment Image
MarvelZombie616
MarvelZombie616 - 5/12/2024, 2:38 PM
For me it was a near-perfect movie.
It had no dull scenes imo.
Acting, cgi, Action sind story were perfect.
I didn't like the execution of the ending, but it has tremendous potential for sequels.
One of the best PotA movies and so fsr the best movie of the year.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 6:35 PM
@MarvelZombie616 - it's the best since Dawn. Maybe better. Gotta see it again.
Gambito
Gambito - 5/12/2024, 2:46 PM
Bring back Andy…make him play a bad guy this time that would be fun
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/12/2024, 6:11 PM
@Gambito - ew. no.
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 5/12/2024, 2:55 PM
Saw it last night and absolutely loved it. As a start of a trilogy I think it’s actually better than Rise which makes me excited for what 2 and 3 could be
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 6:35 PM
@Ha1frican - it's far far better than Rise.
Ha1frican
Ha1frican - 5/12/2024, 7:00 PM
@McMurdo - I agree, but I also don’t think it’s as good as Dawn or War
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 7:03 PM
@Ha1frican - War was okay
Cleander
Cleander - 5/12/2024, 3:21 PM
I have had very funny interactions with ppl that adamantly refuse to see Mae as a villain either bc she is human or a woman.
CoHost
CoHost - 5/12/2024, 4:53 PM
@Cleander - She's more villainous than Proximas. He at least has a reason to hate humans and she proves that. Their world is over. They are to blame. But their egos can't have that. That is literally the point of the franchise.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 6:37 PM
@CoHost - she's literally being hunted by Proximus' tribe the entire film and is then kept prisoner for information. I'm not gonna say there isn't grey area with her character because there is but come on. Next youre going to tell me hamas was defending Palestine on October 7th.
CoHost
CoHost - 5/12/2024, 7:19 PM
@McMurdo - You decided to destroy whatever point you're making with a miserable Gaza reference.
gulducati
gulducati - 5/12/2024, 3:22 PM
Interesting. The way they shot it, you think she's just being careful, not that she had any pre-meditated intent to kill him.
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 5/12/2024, 4:51 PM
@gulducati - I figured she went having 0 trust in him and ready to do it if she had to.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 6:38 PM
@gulducati - it shows she appreciated their relationship and brought the gun for protection in case he wanted revenge. She goes there because she appreciated him and his tribe.
gulducati
gulducati - 5/12/2024, 7:47 PM
@McMurdo - Yes, that was obvious.
FinnishDude
FinnishDude - 5/12/2024, 3:32 PM
The movie was fine, but kinda a repeat of certain beats from Dawn and War, and the big sequel hook doesn't really promise any big shakes-up or not-seen-before plot-turns.
gulducati
gulducati - 5/12/2024, 7:48 PM
@FinnishDude - Yes, I agree. I also felt that the ending was pretty derivitive of the ending of Dawn - humans ready to mobilize and be a threat again...though we know they will fail.
Matchesz
Matchesz - 5/12/2024, 4:30 PM
Im iffy about endings being reworked last second cuz it means the whole build up in the movie was heading somewhere else, til a corporate decision was made. Ending was the weakest part i thought, a post credit scene would’ve helped
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/12/2024, 6:18 PM
@Matchesz - post credit scenes are time killing things. [frick] them
Matchesz
Matchesz - 5/12/2024, 6:29 PM
@Mrtoke - mid credit scene are ok
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/12/2024, 6:35 PM
@Matchesz - that part. yes. those are good.
billnye69
billnye69 - 5/12/2024, 5:44 PM
Go Humans!!
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/12/2024, 6:16 PM
SPOILER ALERT!!!



I hate that bitch so much. If she never went inside that tent, Noa's eagle egg never would have been crushed. The pillagers maybe would have still found the eagle clan but her bitch ass made the dominoes fall and have Noa's horse lead the group to the village. [frick] that bitch. Proxima should have offed her from the get if he was so smart. Dumb ass ape.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 6:40 PM
@Mrtoke - things happen. Noa didn't have to leave in the middle of the night to go find a new egg. Could t waited till next year....but pride and hubris. Decisions have consequences.
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/12/2024, 6:46 PM
@McMurdo - I'm hoping that you are not ok with trespassers. You wouldn't allow a random outsider into your home or village unannounced. She was the first domino to fall and that led to the interference of their traditional ceremony.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 7:04 PM
@Mrtoke - no definitely not but she's being hunted and is desperate for food. That's made pretty clear. So in those circumstances empathy is typically given for people with any sense of morality and compassion.
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/12/2024, 7:18 PM
@McMurdo - those that take outsiders in almost never survive. Forget empathy when your folks can pay for that. Which they eventually did.
Forthas
Forthas - 5/12/2024, 6:41 PM
The scene as it is plays out like she just has the gun in case she has to use it for good reason given what occurred earler. If it is the intent to show that she harbors fear of apes generally, then the alternate scene would have made more sense to use.
Forthas
Forthas - 5/12/2024, 6:47 PM
I would love to see Freya Allen in the MCU as Gwen Stacy. She has shown a lot of physicality in both the Witcher and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Just don't let Sony make that film.

User Comment Image
McMurdo
McMurdo - 5/12/2024, 7:05 PM
@Forthas - I thought she did well in Apes. I'm surprised people here are saying she's bad. She's not awful in Witcher either....the script is awful. You can tell when someone doesn't know the difference.
Forthas
Forthas - 5/12/2024, 10:00 PM
@McMurdo - I agree! I understand why people did not think she stole the show in KOTPA but that was CLEARLY a script issue. I thought in the movie she gave an excellent performance maintaining a mysteriousness about her motivations, background and feelings toward the different apes she meets. She did a great job with a not so good script. Clearly the meaty parts were left for the ape characters.
gulducati
gulducati - 5/12/2024, 7:51 PM
So I am left thinking Mae's origin is one of two possibilities: 1) She was born underground, and upon genetic testing, she was deemed as immune to the virus and it's mutations, and thus entered a "field agent" training and role; or 2) She was born on the surface, but immune to the virus and therefore can speak/reason and somehow the underground humans made contact with her at an early age (or even abducted her)
Gabimaru
Gabimaru - 5/12/2024, 8:43 PM
How the hell do humans make clothes yet apes still barely has one specially in mae's case?
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 5/12/2024, 10:12 PM
User Comment Image
NinnesMBC
NinnesMBC - 5/13/2024, 1:14 AM
Mae's a very complicated protagonist that becomes more grey towards the climax of the movie. I liked that and Allan explains her character's motives well. We saw how dangerous Koba became when he grabbed a machine gun and was using it shooting everyone while riding a horse. Now try to imagine a despot and tyrant like Proximus riding a TANK. It's game over for what's left of humanity as well as any Ape that refuses to bend to him.

So yeah Mae had to get rid of the vault and hope for the best that Noa and his clan could survive. Let's not forget that previously she killed the Ape Lightning, Proximus' lackey, who was holding hostage Soona with a knife. She's a really complex and torn character.

I liked the scene we got and I understood it all with the subtlety she talked about, but imagining her pulling down her gun after hearing Raka hits in a different way because he sacrificed for her. His death was shocking, right in the feels. ;_;

Noa did give her the necklace with Caesar's symbol as if it was an olive branch being extended for the time being so I'd like to see them meet again in the next movie, because they and their kind have a lot of unfinished business.

The ending with both of them watching above the sky, likely at the stars...I'm a little hyped.

Great movie, bravo.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 5/13/2024, 7:45 AM
Early on in this I was thinking it would be a cool twist if Mae ended up being an astronaut from the past who had just crashed and was just trying to figure out what was going on when she came across Noa. Would explain her intelligence and clothes and why she looked at the other humans, like Taylor in the original did, with pity and bewilderment. Then when we come across the doll that says "momma" it would have been an amazing reveal as she realizes she's on Earth and we the audience discovers she was from the past the whole time. This would connect it directly with the easter egg in Rise of the news about astronauts taking off.

Needless to say the ending and story they went with felt pedestrian and kinda boring to me. It made me realize just how intelligent the original's were and how they had a ton more to actually say and had very interesting things to ponder about.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder