Live from WETA: "APES" revealed!

12 April 2011

Monica Gillen

WETA Digital, the industry-leading and Academy Award winning visual effects house behind the wizardry of films such as Avatar, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and District 9, will host a livestream event on Facebook, for Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. On April 13, at 2:30PM PDT, from WETA's headquarters in Wellington, New Zealand, WETA's Joe Letteri and Dan Lemmon will give viewers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at their work on the film, a reality-based cautionary tale that blends science fiction and science-fact - and is the last big event movie of the summer.

 The event will live on Facebook's official fan page for Avatar (http://www.facebook.com/officialavatarmovie), which has 14.2 million followers. Last year, WETA won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking visual effects work in rendering an entire fantasy world in James Cameron's history-making epic. WETA's work on Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes presented very different challenges and opportunities. In addition to creating a CG character that gives a performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, WETA is applying some of the technology it developed for Avatar to bring to life a real world - the film is set in modern-day San Francisco - and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate.

Letteri, a five-time Oscar winner, and Lemmon will provide a look into WETA's process, and explain how working on a Planet of the Apes film has long been the "holy grail" of visual effects wizardry - and a driving force behind their own careers. In addition, visitors to the livestream event will hear from other Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes filmmakers, including director Rupert Wyatt, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the work of actor Andy Serkis, whose nuanced performance is playing a key role in WETA's rendering of Caesar, the film's principal ape character.

A five-second preview of WETA's work on Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is available on the film's official Facebook page: (http://www.facebook.com/ApesWillRise)

In the film's story, a single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. It stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar. Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark are producing for Chernin Entertainment under its pact with Fox. Rupert Wyatt is directing from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, who are also producing.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes opens in theatres everywhere August 5, 2011.