Trivia / Battle for the Planet of the Apes

• B-Team Sequel: Initially, Paul Dehn, who had provided the script for every previous sequel, was hired to provide a story treatment, but he withdrew from the project prior to completing the screenplay due to health reasons.
• Executive Meddling: The original ending would have created a Stable Time Loop with the first film: Aldo would have shot Caesar during their climactic showdown and established martial law, executing all the humans except for those who were too weak/stupid to challenge him, who became slaves. Meanwhile, at the Mutant City, Mendez and Alma are overlooking the Alpha-Omega Bomb and discuss Kolp's orders to deploy it in the event of his death. They decide against it, deciding instead to preserve it as a symbol. Studio demands to appeal to a younger audience, and the nascent TV series, resulted in numerous changes to make the ending (and the film in general) more upbeat.
• Franchise Killer: This movie ended the Apes franchise until a failed attempt at revival in 2001 and a successful one in 2011.
• Money, Dear Boy: According to John Landis, who worked on the film as an extra, not one of the main cast (aside from Severn Darden and Paul Williams) or crew gave a damn about trying to make a good film. Everyone saw it as just a chance to earn one last payday from this series.
• Sequel in Another Medium: The 1990's Malibu Comics' Planet of The Apes comic book takes place after the movie.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The original script by Paul Dehn, writer of the first three sequels to the original film, was much closer in tone to the previous film, and ended with Aldo killing Caesar, instituting martial law over their society, and executing most of the humans outside of a few who were too stupid to pose any threat to him. Producer Arthur P. Jacobs, likely thinking of the TV series he was already planning, decided he wanted something Lighter and Softer and more family-friendly, and so hired The Ωmega Man writers John and Joyce Corrington to essentially rewrite Dehn's script from scratch, retaining only the basic scenario and character names.
  • The script also had Governor Breck as the leader of the mutants, but actor Don Murray wasn't interested in returning.

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