Planet of the Apes was followed by many, many
sequels, and exists in quite a few
incarnations. The series goes as follows:
- Planet of the Apes (1968), the plot of which is described in ample detail above.
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), in which Astronaut Brent is sent to rescue Taylor (Charlton Heston), but crash-lands (there seems to be no way to properly land a spacecraft in this film series) on -gasp!- the Planet of the Apes. He finds Taylor in the forbidden zone, in a fortress guarded by telepathic humans. Battles galore ensue.
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), in which three apes, Cornelius and Zira, flee the planet of the apes, and travel back in time to 20th century Los Angeles. They face the same persecution Taylor did in the original, and discover the origins of the future Planet of the Apes.
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), in which apes have been domesticated by humans and are being used as slaves. The son of Cornelius and Zira, Caesar, leads the apes in a revolt against the human oppressors, and takes over the planet.
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), in which Caesar, after having taken over the planet, tries to keep the peace between the humans and the apes. Some apes disagree, and try to start a civil war; human survivors also decide to take back the Ape city. Thus, war ensues.
After this film series, there was also a 14-episode
TV series entitled
Planet of the Apes (
1974), which rehashes the plot of the original, with the exception that the two human visitors are trying to find a way home and
discover that there were previous human visitors to the planet along the way.
And, just when you thought we were finished, there came yet another TV series called Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975), which, as far as I can gather, was a cartoon version of the original.
Then came the Simpsons musical version, Stop the Planet of the Apes, I want to get off!. This was an unauthorized parody.
Then, of course, came the 2001 remake, which is also described in the writeups above. And while many may be puzzled about the ending, and the fact that Lincoln's face is that of a monkey, I know the truth. In Philip K. Dick's classic A Scanner Darkly, there is a scene in which the characters go to a drive-in for a marathon of Planet of the Apes sequels (all 12 of them). According to one of them, (quoting from memory):
"You gotta see the last one. That's the one in which we find out that all of the US Presidents were actually apes in disguise"
The prophetic genius of Philip K. Dick strikes true again.