I think the fun thing about this franchise [Planet of Apes], as storytellers, is that a lot of the franchises are very black and white. This is all about the gray areas; it's really about the nature. Matt Reeves More Quotes by Matt Reeves More Quotes From Matt Reeves I never would have guessed I would be making science fiction and horror films. Matt Reeves horror would-be fiction When you think of the "Exorcist" (1973) you think of Linda Blair and pea soup and all this madness, but really if you look at the first half of that film, the stuff between her and Ellen Burstyn is so naturalistic and so real. Matt Reeves real looks thinking My main interest in being a director, and the most important thing to me, is that world with the actors. Matt Reeves actors important directors That was one of the key things - when you asked the story about the writing of the story - one of the things we wanted to make sure was that it grew out of. Matt Reeves keys stories writing One of the things I thought coming into the franchise, what I thought was a unique gift: you hear so much of these reboots, remakes, re-whatevers, and the thing about them is that a lot of them are retellings. Matt Reeves unique-gifts retelling unique That movie [War for the Planet of the Apes] is incredibly engaging; it's what drives the emotion of all these films. So tonight, we're going to show a long sequence that's actually going to be. Matt Reeves tonight war long There's a thing when you're always working on something you really love, and this one we loved so much, it feels like you have a secret, and you can't wait to let people in on the secret. But at the same time, there's that moment where, "What if they get the secret and they think the secret is stupid?!" Matt Reeves stupid people thinking It's that we're experiencing emotion through photo-real apes, and that's really holding a mirror up to who we are. It's interesting, because as we're showing the movie now, we're getting a lot of response about things [people] think are very topical. And the intention is never to approach it from the outside-in, which is to say, "Ah, this is going on, let's draw that in." Matt Reeves mirrors real thinking There's something about seeing a movie that you like, and being able to see the scenes that didn't make it, just as a window into the process of how choices are made and how a movie is made. To me, the idea of getting to have the scenes on the DVD is very exciting. Matt Reeves dvds choices ideas Of course you're nervous, but we're really excited to be able to share what we're going to share. And it's cool, because what we're going to be doing, I think for fans especially, we think is really cool, because part of the process that most people don't ever get to see [is] that before these movies are movies starring photo-real apes, they're movies starring the image of Andy Serkis and the other actors, who are playing apes. Matt Reeves real people thinking What I thought was so great about Rise [of the Planet of the Apes ] was that it wasn't a retelling; it was an entering of the universe at a different point. So it's Planet of the Apes. We already know the ending. There's no mystery in that! It becomes Planet of the Apes. So it's not about what is at the end; it's about how did we get there? And that enabled something that was totally fresh, which was an ape-point-of-view movie. Matt Reeves entering different views I think there's a level at which you think that there's a reason that you're being singled out, that you're being chosen. As a kid, I was always mistaken for a girl. Before you reach that age where your sexuality starts to display itself, kids can look very androgynous, and I guess I leaned more toward the feminine. All those things were very hard, growing up, because you're trying to create an identity, and you're feeling shameful about the one that you're making. So, I identified with it a lot. Matt Reeves being-single growing-up girl It's the idea that anticipation is as scary as anything in a movie could be. People's imagination is the most effective tool in creating terror or dread. Matt Reeves anything scary imagination people Really interesting genre films, especially monster movies, evoke the fears of the times intentionally. Matt Reeves really movies monster interesting It's funny, people don't think of 'Cloverfield' as being restrained because it's a handycam movie, but the only reason it's a handycam movie is because that was supposed to be the reality of the situation. Matt Reeves situation funny reality people I was obsessed with movies, and it ended up being the tool with which I could make friends. Because I was too painfully shy in other circumstances, I would say, 'Hey, do you want to make a movie?' And that's how I made friends, and it was also my escape. Matt Reeves movies you friends shy Really interesting genre films, especially monster movies, evoke the fears of the times intentionally. Our starting point was 'Godzilla' - the original movie was released less than 10 years after Hiroshima, and it's a classic in Japan. Matt Reeves movies classic years interesting I thought this was the most incredible opportunity. Because 'Planet Of The Apes,' aside from the fantasy element of talking apes, is such an amazing franchise, because under the surface of that genre, you're actually looking at human nature. Matt Reeves looking you nature opportunity I wanted to explore the possibility that this could have become 'Planet of the Humans and the Apes' instead of just 'Planet of the Apes,' so I wanted there to be this hope of connection as well as this inexorable pull towards what we know the series becomes. Matt Reeves connection just know hope 'Avatar' was incredible and totally groundbreaking, but it wasn't about utter realism. It had a great mythic fantasy to it, but the characters don't seem totally photo-real, as amazing as they are. Matt Reeves amazing about great fantasy
