The diary of Ulysse Merou, journalist with an interstellar expedition from Earth, is found floating in space by other astronauts.
It recounts how the team landed on a planet in the Betelgeuse system discovering both primitive humans and a society of intelligent apes utilizing technology equal to late 20th Century Earth!
Captured by the simians, Merou manages to demonstrate his intelligence, becoming something of a curioisity and celebrity in Ape society...
Written and illustrated by Ernő Zórád, this 1981 Hungarian one-shot adaptation of the original French novel by Pierre Boule has never been officially-published in English.
But, thanks to the fine work of Kyriee (Scans), Swatura Od (translation) and Avoros (scripting), we're finally able to understand this tale in English.
In the 1966 first drafts (and pre-production) of the movie, the plan was to follow the book's premise closer...
...as seen in this 1966 promo reel with an early makeup test featuring Edward G Robinson as Zaius, James Brolin as Cornelius, and Linda Harrison (who played the mute Nova in the first two movies) as Zira!
The background music is John "Johnny" Williams' 1st season soundtrack from the Lost in Space TV series!
And, the makeup design from this test footage (slightly modified) was used on Lost in Space...
..."Fugitives in Space" (S3E20), shot around the same time as the revised makeup was being filmed for Planet of the Apes (1968)!
Talk about corporate (20th Century Fox) synergy!
Trivia: that's Michael Conrad (Sgt Phil "Let's be careful out there!" Esterhaus from Hill Street Blues) under the latex!
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The novel (Monkey Planet) that the movie (and the graphic novel) were based upon!
There was never a novelization of the movie itself!
