Beneath The Planet Of The Apes (1970)(20th Century Fox)
As is the case with all highly successful films, "If you make a lot of money you have to make a sequel." Beneath the Planet of the Apes would suffer troubles from the moment of its conception. First problem, Charlton Heston wanted nothing to do with the production. He had originally felt that the story had ended properly with Taylor on the beach in the first movie. Without Heston there wouldn't be a picture. The studio fought like mad to get Heston to give in. Finally, he did, but the only way he would do it is if Taylor died at the beginning of the film. The studio countered with Taylor disappearing in the first scene, then dying at the end of the picture. Heston agreed under those guidelines. Next problem, Money. Fox had just suffered a horrible year at the box office. Budgets for all productions were slashed, including Beneath the Planet of the Apes. The films original budget would hardly cover the cost of the makeup alone. Corners had to be cut, and, in the end, it s...