If you’re going to use CG in your movies, the goal is typically to make it as seamless as possible. That’s exactly the sentiment that filmmakerWes Ball(The Maze Runnerfranchise) went with when he started making the soon-to-be-released action and adventure flick,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Turning to the best in the biz, the production enlisted the help of Wētā FX to deliver the powerful blow of dazzling images that fully immerse the audience in the ape-run universe. During an interview with Collider’sPerri Nemiroff, the director shared which blockbuster moviepreviously counted on the gurus at Wētā to deliver a top-quality productand what he hopes audiences will take from seeing the final result.
Having already seen theimpressive otherworldly universeof Ball’s latest film, Nemiroff complimented him on “how damn good you make wet apes look.” Explaining that it’s something viewers haven’t fully gotten a taste of from the promo material, Ball said:
“People don’t fully realize it because we’ve managed to avoid a lot in the trailers. [Laughs] But yeah, the waterwork we got to obviously use a lot of what[Avatar]The Way of Waterdid, but put in CG apes, which is a whole new frontier for Wētā, I think. The amount of simulation datafar exceeds anything they’ve done previously.It’s wild.”
Two Blockbuster Movies Linked By Water
Diving in (so to speak) about the specifics of what tiesKingdom of the Planet of the ApestoAvatar: The Way of Water, Ball says that“It’s all the water stuff”that connects the two productions — although he thinks that his movie kicked it up a notch fromJames Cameron’sAvatarsequel. He told Nemiroff:
“Every bit of water you see in the movie is all CG. We didn’t shoot anything. It’s pretty stunning stuff.It’s way more complicated this time because it’s not like waves in the sea. It’s crashing and interacting, wet fur, fur strands blowing,water flowing through the fur. It’s justinsane. That stuff was the last stuff we delivered. It took a year and a couple of months to do.”
Wes Ball Hopes To Give Audiences a Raw Cut Of The Film
Ball thinks it’s incredibly important for fans to see and understand the impressive work that the team over at Wētā accomplished for the latestApesmovie. And,the director is already planning to release a raw cutby way of bonus material on a physical release. Speaking about one scene that takes place on a bridge, Ball reveals, “That was shot in a parking lot,” adding, “That’s why I want to release this thing where you see what it actually was we shot, to see what Wētā does.”
Understanding that fans are always eager to learn about the process from start to finish, he said:
“I think it’s gonna be fun for people just to seethe real artistry that’s involved here. There’s no button that makes this stuff happen. There’s no ‘make ape’ or ‘make whatever.’ It’s real, incredible storytelling and artistry that’s on display here.It’s an honor to be involved with such incredible people.”
You can check out the hard work of Wētā, Ball, and the rest of the cast and crew fromKingdom of the Planet of the Apeswhen it roars into theaters on May 8. In the meantime, check out Nemiroff’s full interview with Ball below andlearn everything there is to know about the film here.
TKINTERVIEW
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.
