While he is credited as one of the writers for the original Planet of the Apes movie (based on Pierre Boulle's novel La Planète des singes), Rod Serling's screenplay was drastically transformed from its initial conception, leaving The Twilight Zone creator's version of the iconic story left untold... until now.

BOOM! Studios and 20th Century Fox Consumer Products have teamed up to release Planet of the Apes: Visionaries, a graphic novel adaptation of Serling's script that features intelligent, nicely-dressed apes living in a vibrant city of skyscrapers and advanced technology.

Artist Chad Lewis and writer/actor Dana Gould (creator of Stan Against Evil and a passionate fan of Planet of the Apes) adapted Serling's screenplay to graphic novel form. You'll be able to read the new graphic novel when it's released in comic book shops this August, and in the meantime, you can view new artwork and the press release with full details below:

Press Release: LOS ANGELES, CA (February 1, 2018) – BOOM! Studios and 20th Century Fox Consumer Products announce PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES, a new Original Graphic Novel, releasing in August 2018 as part of the 20th Century Fox Uncovered collection. BOOM! Studios searched the 20th Century Fox film archives and unearthed the first screenplay for the original Planet of the Apes (1968) movie, written by Rod Serling, and adapted into comic book format for the first time as a part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the film.

The first Planet of The Apes (1968) film is an adaptation of the French novel La Planète des singes. On the road to making the landmark science-fiction classic, 20th Century Fox commissioned Rod Serling to adapt the source material. Serling’s first draft, which was drastically revised before filming, is a radically different vision of the franchise than the one the world has come to know and love.

Now, for the first time in any medium, that vision is fully realized as a graphic novel with PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES from acclaimed actor/comedian/writer Dana Gould (The Simpsons) and Chad Lewis (Avengers Origins).

This is the world you know from the acclaimed Planet of the Apes film series, but with key differences - Taylor is Thomas, and Ape City isn’t a crude, primitive grouping of huts; instead,  it’s a bustling and urbane metropolis filled with cars and skyscrapers and a vibrant Ape culture. In a world where Apes wear modern clothes, drive modern cars and rule the late night talk show scene, the arrival of one man will forever change how Apes – and Humans – view themselves.

Using the original 1966 makeup test and concept art as a jumping off point, discover an all new, yet classic “look” to the classic franchise in PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES which also features a stunning cover by Eisner award-winning superstar Paolo Rivera (Daredevil). This landmark graphic novel continues the year long celebration of the Planet of the Apes 50th Anniversary at BOOM! Studios, which has included all new comic book series, coloring books, archival collections and more.

Planet Of The Apes meant as much to me growing up as baseball means to most kids. No lie,” said Dana Gould. “That I'm now able to be involved with this universe in a creative capacity, much less adapting the original Rod Serling script... I mean, Rod Serling! I am incredibly grateful to BOOM! Studios for this once in a lifetime opportunity.”

PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES is a dream project because it combines my love of retro sci-fi fi and anthropomorphic characters,” said Chad Lewis. “There’s nothing better than drawing human emotions on gorillas and chimps! Dana has deftly translated these great characters and world into the graphic novel format and it's a joy to illustrate every corner of the rich universe.”

PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, WWE, Big Trouble in Little China, Victor LaValle’s Destroyer, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, andKlaus.

“For every Planet of the Apes fan that’s wanted to see what Rod Serling’s original film would’ve looked like and the team on this graphic novel will blow you away,” said Dafna Pleban, Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Dana Gould and Chad Lewis having lovingly adapted the ambitious, original plan for Planet of the Apes film into a graphic novel that speaks to the timeless, unflinching themes of the franchise while offering an entirely new vision of familiar faces.”

Print copies of PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES will be available for sale in August 2018 at local comic book shops  (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) and book stores. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For continuing news on PLANET OF THE APES: VISIONARIES  and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
20th Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of 20th Century Fox Film, 20th Century Fox Television and FX Networks, as well as third party lines.  The division is aligned with 20th Century Fox Television, the flagship studio leading the industry in supplying award-winning and blockbuster primetime television programming and entertainment content and 20th Century Fox Film, one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures throughout the world.

About BOOM! Studios
BOOM! Studios was founded by Ross Richie in 2005 with the singular focus of creating world-class comic book and graphic novel storytelling for all audiences. Through the development of four distinct imprints—BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia—BOOM! has produced award-winning original work, including LumberjanesThe WoodsGiant DaysKlaus, and Mouse Guard, while also breaking new ground with established licenses such as WWE, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Cartoon Network, and Jim Henson Company properties. BOOM! will also bring their original series to life through unique first-look relationships with 20th Century Fox for film and with Fox Television for the small screen. Please visit www.boom-studios.com for more information.

  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.

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