Sometimes a book comes out that sparks the national imagination so much, it creates a long-lasting media legacy. Planet of the Apes is one of those books. First published in 1963 in France, the novel gained popularity quickly and sparked many adaptations, the first a mere five years later, which points to the popularity of the book. Overall, there have been seven films, two television series, and comic books as a result.

The first film, in 1968 starred Charlton Heston. This film quickly had 4 sequels – all produced by Arthur P. Jacobs. A series of that magnitude was almost unheard of at that time…and has only been matched a few times since then. After falling by the wayside for a couple of decades, creatives decided to revisit the series in 2001, with Tim Burton helming and Mark Walhberg starring. This was a remake of the original film, rather than a reboot. It did very well at the box office and brought a new legion of fans to the original series. There were stop and start efforts to bring a sequel forth, but it wasn’t until 2011 that a full on reboot was launched. This was the massively successful Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This starred James Franco and explored themes of rebellion more than previous films. It is similar to the fourth film in the original series but not a remake per se.

This brings us to today. This summer Dawn of the Planet of the Apes comes out…A sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Full on rebellion is underway and there will be blood. While it’s uncertain how this will do at the box office, analysts are predicting another massive success. Will you be seeing #DOTPOTA? Tweet us @YAmzine and join the conversation!