Show notes provided by Jack Adrien

Before the entertainment and media industry’s endless stream of sequels, reboots, reimaginings, remakes, franchises, or tentpoles, there was The Planet of the Apes. Starting in 1963 as French author Pierre Boulle's novel, La Planète des singes – or better known in the United States as Planet of the Apes in the United Kingdom as Monkey Planet, respectively – the intellectual property gained international acclaim through its synonymous 1968 film adaption directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston. Most filmgoers remember the film adaptation for arguably one of cinema’s most famous twist endings [57-YEAR SPOILER WARNING: Charlton Heston and the other astronauts were never on another planet, their spaceship returned to a post-apocalyptic Earth 2006 years after their in-universe 1972 departure with intelligent apes as the dominant life form] . A critical and commercial success, the film adaptation spawned three film sequels (i.e., Beneath the Planet of the Apes released on May 27, 1970; Escape from the Planet of the Apes released on May 21, 1971; Conquest of the Planet of the Apes released on June 29, 1972; and Battle for the Planet of the Apes released on June 15, 1973). Ignoring the best forgotten Tim Burton remake released on July 27, 2001, the franchise gained a new life as the Rise of the Planet of the Apes reboot spawning three successful sequels (i.e., Dawn of the Planet of the Apes released on July 11, 2014; War for the Planet of the Apes     released on July 14, 2017; and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes released on May 10, 2024). The new series introduced social awareness themes of animal genetic therapy experimentation, environmentalism, and human indifference of the natural world to a new generation.

 Join the Mint Condition crew of James, Joe, Josh, and Jack as we trace the legacy of The Planet of Apes’ novel, original series, comic book, television series, animated series, toys, and other merchandise.