Summary

• Wes Ball announces there are plans to release a "raw" cut of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes which will feature the actors in their MoCap suits — without being enhanced by VFX.
• Ball says, "I wanna show people just what it is that is done on these movies."
• The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director insists, "I think the magic still exists" when it comes to special effects.

Fans of the Planet of the Apes franchise will have their opportunity for another wonderful day, as so decreed by Proximus Caesar, who is portrayed by Kevin Durand in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Yes, those interested can watch director Wes Ball’s film in an entirely different light following its theatrical release, because a “raw” cut of Ball's Kingdom is planned when the sci-fi adventure's physical media eventually drops. According to ComicBook.com, the DVD will include the special-effects free version of the movie with the actors carrying out their performances in their motion capture suits. Ball said:

"I wanna show people just what it is that is done on these movies. And I think the magic still exists, because you look at it, and you're like, 'Oh my God, how is that possible?' That still exists. I don't know, for the geeks that like this stuff, they're gonna love it, I think."

Ball said in the same interview:

"I'm a fan of VFX. The trend right now seems to poo-poo VFX work, and I celebrate it. I think it's a tool like anything else. I think the work that these artists do – these storytellers do – should be appreciated more. Yeah, sure, there's bad VFX out there. There's bad photography out there too, and we don't kind of rail on cameras. You know what I mean? It's just a tool to tell a story, and I think people will be blown away to see how these movies are created."

Wes Ball Dishes on the ‘Mystique’ of VFX

Director Wes Ball is already thinking about sequels for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. However, he is also very excited about the prospect of showing the fans the magic and exploring the "mystique" surrounding the visual effects process by presenting his “raw” cut of Noa (Owen Teague) and Proximus Caesar’s (Durand) conflict with all the actors sporting their MoCap suits — devoid of VFX. Ball explained in the same interview:

"I think there's this kind of mystique behind them, like there's a button that you say 'make ape' or 'make human' or 'make VFX,' 'make pretty.' It doesn't work that way. It's an incredible amount of craft and hard work and dedication that I think we should honor. There's a lot of people that work on these movies on the visual effects side of things.”

Ball’s entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise exists between the Caesar prequel trilogy and the original 1968 classic, which starred Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall and Linda Harrison. The director continued to praise Kingdom’s VFX work and the many others who contributed to making the new sci-fi adventure in the same interview:

"That's not to say that all the onset guys, my production designer, and my DP, and all these guys, too. I mean, everyone should be kind of celebrated for their contribution on a movie like this. And I think just the visual effects component is a key of these movies. It would not be possible without them.”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is now playing in theaters.