The first sequel to Planet of the Apes (1968, see entry) was initially titled Planet of the Apes Revisited, as noted a 7 Mar 1969 DV brief. In an interview published in the Summer 1972 issue of Cinefantastique, producer Arthur P. Jacobs claimed he had not originally intended to make a sequel, but Planet of the Apes was so successful that Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. asked him to devise a follow-up. Jacobs enlisted Pierre Boulle, who wrote the 1963 novel upon which Planet of the Apes was based, to write a treatment. Since Boulle had never attempted a screenplay before, he studied Michael Wilson and Rod Serling’s script from the 1968 film before developing a treatment titled The Planet of Man. Jacobs rejected Boulle’s treatment on the basis that “it wasn’t cinematic,” and reached out to screenwriter Paul Dehn and co-story writer Mort Abrahams. With Jacobs, Dehn and Abrahams worked together over a two-week period in London, England, “trying to figure out where to go from the Statue of Liberty” scene at the finale of the first film. In a separate interview in Cinefantastique, Boulle claimed that his idea for the sequel was altered so greatly, he considered Beneath the Planet of the Apes unconnected to his work. However, an item in the 23 Jan 1969 DV stated that Dehn’s script was based on “an original idea” by Boulle.
       Over fifteen cast and crew members who had worked on Planet of the Apes returned to their roles on the sequel, according to a 23 Apr 1969 Var item. On 18 Mar 1969, LAT announced that Charlton Heston would reprise the part of “George Taylor.” The following day, a DV item noted that Heston would allow Twentieth Century-Fox to decide what he should be paid for two days’ work. The actor ultimately spent eight days on set and received a salary of $50,000, the 11 Apr 1969 DV reported. Maurice Evans, Kim Hunter, and Linda Harrison also reprised their roles from the original film. Roddy McDowall intended to return as “Cornelius,” but a scheduling conflict arose with Tam Lin (1971, see entry), the picture he was directing in Great Britain at that time. He was replaced by David Watson, as noted in the 6 May 1969 DV; however, McDowall played Cornelius in the following sequels: Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971, see entry); Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972, see entry); and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973, see entry). McDowall also appeared as “Galen” in the television series, The Planet of the Apes, which was aired on Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) between 13 Sep 1974 and 27 Dec 1974.
       Beneath the Planet of the Apes marked the first of a non-exclusive six-picture deal between Twentieth Century-Fox and actor James Franciscus, who was cast in the lead role of “Brent,” as stated in the 3 Apr 1969 DV. Actor and filmmaker Martin Ritt was reportedly cast as an orangutan, according to the 11 Feb 1969 DV.
       Principal photography was scheduled to begin 14 Apr 1969 on the Twentieth Century-Fox studio lot in Los Angeles, CA, as stated in a 26 Mar 1969 DV article. The 23 Apr 1969 Var noted that filmmakers would also shoot in the same location as the original Planet of the Apes, at Fox’s former “coast ranch studios” located in Malibu Creek State Park in California.
       On the Fox lot, some existing sets from Hello, Dolly! (1969, see entry) were repurposed, including a Grand Central Station replica, and the “Harmonia Gardens” set, which art director William Creber and his aides sprayed over with foam and transformed to look like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, according to Cinefantastique. The ruins of New York City were partially achieved by the special effects team, who inserted actual photographs of New York locations as matte backgrounds.
       During production, the 23 Apr 1969 DV reported that five different endings were being considered by Jacobs, director Ted Post, and Fox chief Richard Zanuck. The filmmakers’ goal was reportedly “to have the same impact as the initial ‘Apes’ Statue of Liberty finale – and yet not be too downbeat.” However, the ending finally chosen depicted a doomsday scenario in which an atomic bomb capable of destroying the planet was detonated.
       Actress Kim Hunter discussed the trials of playing an ape in an interview published in the 13 Dec 1970 NYT. Hunter stated that the elaborate make-up required three-and-a-half hours to apply, and an additional one-and-a-half hours to remove. She and her fellow ape actors had to eat lunch in the makeup, which proved so difficult that Hunter resorted to a liquids-only diet, sipped through a straw. She also stated that the claustrophobic experience of having the makeup applied required her to take a tranquilizer every morning.
       According to the 23 Apr 1969 DV, the film was made for an estimated $5 million.
       On 27 Jun 1969, Fox ran a full-page advertisement in DV, declaring that no publicity photographs would be released in advance of the film’s opening. The ad promised “a completely new motion picture experience” with such “shocking” scenes as “Grand Central Station and St. Patrick’s cathedral still standing amid atomic rubble… Human mutants living in their ghostly gray 40th century catacomb complexes,” and “A vast gorilla army marching on New York.”
       A world premiere was scheduled to take place on 26 May 1970 at the Loews Beverly Theater in Beverly Hills, CA. Proceeds from the fundraising event were set to go toward the City of Hope hospital and research center, as noted in the 6 May 1970 DV. The picture opened in Los Angeles on 26 May 1970 and in New York City two days later. Reviews were generally less favorable than those for Planet of the Apes. The 28 Apr 1970 DV called the film “rather hokey and slapdash” and criticized its “painfully obvious process work.” A more positive notice in the 26 May 1970 LAT described the sequel as “striking” and “imaginative” although sometimes campy. Commercially, the picture fared well, although box-office returns fell short of the original. On 24 Jun 1970, a DV item stated that ticket sales were already promising enough for Jacobs to be planning a third sequel, for which he reportedly had figured out a gimmick, “despite the implied end of the planet.” The 26 Aug 1970 Var noted that, worldwide, the film was enjoying higher initial box-office returns than its predecessor, although it was proving to have less staying power. A re-release of the film, on a double bill with Planet of the Apes, was scheduled for 31 Mar 1971, according to the 25 Mar 1971 LAT. The third film in the series, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, opened two months later.
       A soundtrack was due to be released by Amos Records, according to the 24 Jun 1970 Var.
       Following the initial series of Planet of the Apes films released between 1968 and 1973, Twentieth Century Fox released a remake of Planet of the Apes in 2001 (see entry), followed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 (see entries).