Movies - TV
Why Planet Of The Apes' Security Was Unusually Tight On Set
By DEVIN MEENAN
Since the ape actors in “Planet of the Apes” would be in make-up all day, it would be easy to snap photographs of them ahead of the film’s release in 1968 — that meant security had to be extra strict. Army Archerd of Variety spoke with producer Arthur P. Jacobs, who explained the need for the unusual secrecy.
Archerd cited that Jacobs and company wanted to maintain the “surprise element” for audiences. Additionally, there was concern that if photos of the film's production were publicly available then other studios might try to “ape” the designs and corner the monkey movie market before their $5 million investment had even hit theaters.
According to Variety, a hurdle the film faced when in development was that some thought “an ape-human switcheroo” was too silly a premise to render on film. This concern might have been another reason for on-set secrecy — if potential audiences caught sight of the makeup and rejected it, that may have doomed the film.