USA: James Franco and co-stars attend premiere of "Rise of Planet of the Apes" in Los Angeles

Record ID: 219745

  • Title: USA: James Franco and co-stars attend premiere of "Rise of Planet of the Apes" in Los Angeles
  • Date: 29th July 2011
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 28, 2011) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** WIDE OF RED CARPET WITH PAN TO ACTOR JAMES FRANCO ACTRESS FRIEDA PINTO POSING FOR STILL PICTURES ACTOR JAMES FRANCO POSING FOR PICTURES, TURNS AND WAVES TO FANS ACTOR JOHN LITHGOW POSING FOR PICTURES TOM FELTON POSING FOR PICTURES WITH PAN TO FRIEDA PINTO TALKING TO REPORTERS ACTOR JAMES FRANCO POSING FOR PICTURES ACTOR ANDY SERKIS TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JAMES FRANCO, SAYING: "Our movie is completely different, these are CG animated apes. It's the WETA effects company that created them, so they look like real apes, but they are giving performances by Andy Serkis, incredible performances you could never get out of a real chimpanzee. So it's a completely different take. It's grounded, it's more realistic, it takes place in our world of today. So that's why I felt like 'OK they're doing something different in this movie,' it's an interesting movie, and I'm interested in working with these people who do these kind of effects the best." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTRESS FRIEDA PINTO, SAYING: "Everything about the film, the technology that has been used in the film, the better technology, the CGI, I mean, we have taken it out in the open, we're not confined to the studio anymore. And it is a bigger challenge in that sense. And there's a lot more coordination and there's a lot more choreography that needs to be done in this, so I guess they see that and they appreciate it and see.... I mean, it looks real, it's kind of unbelievable that we did not shoot with real apes. We don't need them. That's the first step, we don't need the real apes anymore, we can let them be what they have to be and we can work with actors." JAMES FRANCO ON RED CARPET WITH ZOOM OUT TO JOHN LITHGOW (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JOHN LITHGOW, SAYING: "I've never paid much attention to the series. I haven't really. I don't think I've ever seen any of them, start to finish. What is remarkable to me about this one is how reality based it is. They made this very bold choice to make it very much about the interaction of, it's a very human world, the first hour of the film, it's not science fiction, it's science fact, and I think that's a great way to create a very compelling story. That's immediately what makes it different from all the others." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR JAMES FRANCO, SAYING: "I have to say, I was more into fantasy than science fiction, although I appreciate science fiction as really one of the best lenses we can use to examine ourselves and using the future, or the idea, the concept of intelligent apes or whatever to just examine ourselves now, today, where are we going, what are we doing, how are we behaving, and how does that impact our world, our lives, each other." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR TOM FELTON, SAYING: "It's a bit of both. I mean, I can't really say one way or the other. I'm excited to end the 'Harry Potter' series on such a high note that we did, but also, equally, if not more excited to talk about project's where my character isn't called Draco. I even signed an autograph the other day for a 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' poster and wrote 'Draco,' the character, and afterwards I crossed it out and said 'great, I can write 'Dodge,' so it's nice to talk about new films as well." (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR ANDY SERKIS, SAYING: "I always ask myself 'what's storytelling going to be like in 20, 30 years time? What will people be doing; sitting in a theater looking at a 2-D event, or a mixed media event with 3-D holography? Or how can characters come alive off the screen, and performance capture is a real route into all of that world, because you can play anything, and that's kind of the mission, is to kind of say we're at the beginning of what is a very exciting technology." JAMES FRANCO TALKING TO REPORTERS WITH PUSH TO "RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES" POSTER
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA2OYZS42EN9GYAAR4XF5B0VESN
  • Story Text: The landmark science fiction film series, "The Planet of the Apes," is getting its latest installment, in a modernized, effects laden prequel starring James Franco, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."
    Franco was on hand Thursday evening (July 28) for the film's red carpet premiere at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, along with castmates Freida Pinto, Tom Felton, John Lithgow, and Andy Serkis.
    The idea behind "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was not simply another chapter in the series, but rather an imagining of the events preceding the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston, where in present day San Francisco, a doctor (Franco) is testing a cure for Alzheimer's on apes and chimpanzees. In the end, the testing goes haywire, with disastrous consequences for the human race, as the apes, led by the super-smart, Caesar, overtake the world.
    The film is being lauded for its groundbreaking use of CGI (computer-generated imagery) animation, technology perfected for the 2009 film "Avatar," which is setting this film apart from other "Planet of the Apes" versions, according to Franco.
    "Our movie is completely different, these are CG animated apes. It's the WETA effects company that created them, so they look like real apes, but they are giving performances by Andy Serkis, incredible performances you could never get out of a real chimpanzee. So it's a completely different take. It's grounded, it's more realistic," he said.
    Freida Pinto, who starred in the 2008 film "Slumdog Millionaire," said that the benefit of the improved motion-capture technology, which allowed real actors to play lifelike apes in the film, was that the process wasn't confined to a specialized studio.
    "We have taken it out in the open, we're not confined to the studio anymore, and it is a bigger challenge in that sense and there's a lot more coordination and there's a lot more choreography that needs to be done in this," says Pinto.
    "It looks real, it's kind of unbelievable that we did not shoot with real apes. We don't need them. That's the first step, we don't need the real apes anymore, we can let them be what they have to be and we can work with actors."
    The catalyst for the storyline in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is a scientist trying desperately to find a cure for his ailing father (John Lithgow), who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
    For Lithgow, who has had a varied career as an actor, playing a part in a film with such a historic sci-fi past was not something he had ever planned on, as he was never a big fan of the original series.
    "I've never paid much attention to the series. I haven't really. I don't think I've ever seen any of them, start to finish. What is remarkable to me about this one is how reality based it is, they made this very bold choice to make it very much about the interaction of, it's a very human world, the first hour of the film, it's not science fiction, it's science fact, and I think that's a great way to create a very compelling story, that's immediately what makes it different from all the others," said Lithgow.
    Also starring in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is actor Tom Felton, who recently wrapped his final film in the "Harry Potter" series. Felton is best-known for playing the role of the villainous Draco Malfoy in Potter, a character he is both saddened and relieved to have placed behind him.
    "I'm excited to end the 'Harry Potter' series on such a high note that we did, but also, equally, if not more excited to talk about project's where my character isn't called Draco. I even signed an autograph the other day for a 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' poster and wrote 'Draco,' the character, and afterwards I crossed it out and said 'great, I can write 'Dodge,' so it's nice to talk about new films as well," says Felton.
    For Andy Serkis, who has forged a new niche in the modern film world as the go-to motion capture actor, the opportunity to play the genius ape Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was more than just another film role. Serkis, who used motion capture playing Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" film series and in the 2005 "King Kong" remake, has since started a production studio and academy in London that will aid actors who want to learn to work in the technology, as more and more opportunities in the media world develop.
    ""I always ask myself 'what's storytelling going to be like in 20, 30 years time? What will people be doing; sitting in a theater looking at a 2-D event, or a mixed media event with 3-D holography? Or how can characters come alive off the screen, and performance capture is a real route into all of that world, because you can play anything, and that's kind of the mission, is to kind of say we're at the beginning of what is a very exciting technology," said Serkis.
    "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" opens in theaters August 5th.
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