War for the Planet of the Apes looks incredible. Fans have been waiting for this monumental showdown since the series rebooted with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. And with this decisive war finally upon us, it’s time to take a look and see how (or if) this new series is going to connect to the original film.
Nova
The biggest connection to the original film is the introduction of Nova. In Planet of the Apes, Nova was a mute human that astronaut George Taylor ran into when he landed on the planet. Her inclusion into this new story is clearly very different. She looks to be a traumatized little girl who the apes decide to raise as one of their own. It’s likely that she’ll remain mute for most of the story as a nod to her original character.
This bit of info pretty much tells us that these new Apes movies are forging their own path and aren’t trying to sync up with the previous films. But, there is one big clue that foreshadows a new version of the familiar story…
The Icarus
In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we were shown news footage of a space mission. The ship that those astronauts were on was called the Icarus. That’s the same name of the ship that Taylor and crew piloted in Planet of the Apes. We even see a newspaper later in the movie that says that the Icarus has been lost in space. Is this going to be set up for a semi-remake of the original film?
We know that the classic twist of Planet of the Apes can never be replicated. So, is the series going to acknowledge that and have the crew of the Icarus aware that they are returning to Earth? and when they arrive, how will they deal with a world that has been completely overrun by intelligent apes?
War for the Planet of the Apes is going to get us to an Earth where the apes are the dominant social order. With these little hints at the original film being placed, it’s fair to assume that the series is also going to connect to the original film in its own unique way. We’ll find out when the movie opens on July 14.
