Stories from the set

Karin Konoval played not only the orangutan Maurice but also the stubborn court secretary with whom the protagonist argues. The director gave her a "human" role, being delighted with how she played the ape.

Caesar the chimpanzee (the instigator of the ape rebellion) was portrayed by Andy Serkis, who had previously provided the motion-capture performance and facial expressions for Gollum and King Kong.

"Rise..." is the first film in the "ape" franchise in which the four-handed primates are CG models. In Tim Burton's remake of "Planet of the Apes," the apes were played by actors in elaborate makeup.

The film had three working titles: "Caesar", "Caesar: Rise of the Apes", and "Rise of the Apes". With the final title, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", the filmmakers decided to emphasize the connection to the "Planet of the Apes" franchise.

Caesar uses a bundle of sticks to explain to Maurice how one ape is weak, but apes together are strong. Likewise, the bundle of sticks, or fasces, was a symbol of power in ancient Rome, the origin of Caesar's name. The image of Caesar also recalls Benito Mussolini, who adopted the fasces as a symbol of his Italian Fascist movement.

Tobey Maguire was also considered for the role of Will, which was played by James Franco.

The name "Bright Eyes" in the script is no accident. In the film "Planet of the Apes" (1968), that is what the chimpanzee doctor Zira called Taylor (the character played by Charlton Heston) until his vocal cords were healed.

One of the first films to use motion capture technology while shooting on location. Until then, this technology had only been used in studio soundstages.

The first installment in the franchise to feature a new species of ape (previously there were only chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans). Bonobos appear here. Their absence from earlier films in the franchise is explained by the fact that until recently bonobos were considered a subspecies of chimpanzee.

Caesar's voice was created by sound designer Chuck Michael, who mixed the sounds of adult male chimpanzee vocalizations with Andy Serkis's voice.