Return of the Apes

From Cancelled Movies Wiki

In 1995, Fox signed up on a reboot of Planet of the Apes titled Return of the Apes, with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead. The effects were going to be done by Stan Winston, Terry Hayes wanted to write the script and Phillip Noyce was going to direct with a $100 million budget.

Plot

Two scientists travel back to Africa 102,000 years ago to find a cure for a disease that is ravaging humanity. While in Africa, they encounter a war between primitive humans and advanced apes.

Why It Was Cancelled

  1. Fox executive Dylan Sellers added comedy elements to the script (including one where the hero teaches the apes to play baseball) which conflicted with Terry Hayes' gritty script.
  2. Dylan Sellers was arrested for drunk driving.

Result

  1. The film was permanently cancelled.
  2. Planet of the Apes got two reboots in 2001 and 2011.