Blu-Ray Deal: Planet of the Apes 5-Film Collection + One Movie Ticket for $19.96

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the #1 movie in America right now and for darn good reason, it's kind of amazing. While we don't know what the future holds for the franchise yet we do know these films are intended to be a prequel to the classic Planet of the Apes film from 1968 and the sequels that followed. And if you're interested in the further adventures of Caesar and the rest of his damned dirty apes, now's the time to catch up with the Planet of the Apes: 5-Film Collection on Blu-Ray. For this week only you can get this set for only $19.96, 60% off the retail price! For that you get Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and Battle for the Planet of the Apes.

And check this out, make your purchase now and you will receive one free movie ticket ($8.00 value) to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in theaters! That's an amazing deal worth going ape dump over, so pick up yours right now by going here! We appreciate the support you continue to show our sponsors. Punch Drunk Critics earns a small fee every time one of our readers buys from any of our links.

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Franco Signs on for RISE OF THE APES

I'm trying to withhold judgement on this, but it's a losing battle I'm afraid. Even the news that James Franco(Pineapple Express) has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox's Planet of the Apes prequel doesn't inspire me with a lot of confidence. Franco will play the lead actor in the film, titled Rise of the Apes, a “a young, driven scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes.”

This one lost me the moment it was revealed that the apes would be almost entirely CGI, rather than cheesy looking dudes in hairy suits. To me, Apes is a franchise that should never be taken as cold and serious as Tim Burton's lousy attempt was back in 2001. Using CGI apes is a step in making sure this one is just as bland and colorless as that film was, arguably the worst thing Burton ever helmed. 

Rise of the Apes is still scheduled to swing into theaters on June 24 2011. Rupert Wyatt(The Escapist) is on board to direct, based on a screenplay by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa.

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Quick Hits: Lohan as Lovelace; Jones Cast in CAPTAIN AMERICA; APES Prequel Release Date

Quickly...

*I meant to post about this a few days ago, but it's been confirmed that Lindsay Lohan will be starring as 1970's pornstar Linda Lovelace in the upcoming biopic, Inferno. The role had once belonged to Anna Faris(Scary Movie), but she dropped out and producers decided it was best to hire someone familiar with Lovelace's....hobbies. Maybe they can get Samantha Ronson to play Lovelace's husband/pimp, Chuck Traynor? She certainly looks the part.

*One of my biggest gripes with the casting of Captain America so far is that there are no really stand out character actors involved, which can be a problem considering Chris Evans' spotty track record. That's being rectified now, as Toby Jones is in final negotiations to play evil scientist Arnim Zola. Jones is best known for his role as Truman Capote in Infamous, but the guy can do anything from dramatic period pieces(The Painted Veil) to B-grade horror(The Mist). Oh, and the title of the movie is now officially Captain America: The First Avenger.

*Rupert Wyatt's Rise of the Apes, a prequel to Planet of the Apes, has been given a release date of June 24th 2011. The CGI heavy flick(no dudes in costumes, folks!) will do battle that weekend with Pixar's Cars sequel. Since I'm not really fond of either of these movies, maybe they should've combined the two and saved me a couple of hours? But if they did it might look too much like this...

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A Return to the Planet of the Apes?

Because we need another Planet of the Apes after Tim Burton's horrible remake. I've still got the bad banana peel taste in my mouth after that one.  Apparently, Fox disagrees with me, as they have tapped Rupert Wyatt to direct a planned prequel to Planet of the Apes. The title of the film will Caesar, and is being written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver(The Hand that Rocks the Cradle).

The story is said to be more sci-fi and socially thematic than Burton's film, dealing with hyper intelligent chimpanzees created by human scientists. It is not a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, as some have previously speculated. It's a project that has actually been in the works for a couple of years.

This sounds like a horrible idea. I'm not familiar with Wyatt's work, since his only film of note is The Escapist, which I've actually heard good things about but I haven't seen it yet.

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Planet of the Apes Sequel Project in the Works?

CHUD is reporting that a prequel to Planet of the Apes is close to a "go" over at Fox Studios. The project, which would be a virtual remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes titled Genesis: Apes(>snicker) was thought to be dead until the past week when Fox's studio head reported that the script was close to complete.

My question is: Who really cares about dem damn dirty apes?? Didn't the Mark Wahlberg movie prove that the concept is dated and not all that rife with potential anymore? And what kind of name is Genesis: Apes? Sounds like a chapter in my science book, or a documentary on the Discovery Channel, or an insult to Phil Collins fans worldwide, not a title for a feature film.

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