Planet of the Apes (1968 film) and Linda Harrison, played Cornelius and Zira. This test footage is included on several DVD releases of the film, as well as the documentary "Behind the Planet of the Apes". Linda Harrison, at the time the girlfriend of studio chief Richard Zanuck, went on to play Nova in the 1968 film and its first sequel, and had a cameo in Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" more than 30 years later, which was also produced by Zanuck. Although Harrison often opined that the producers had always had her in mind for the role of Nova, they had, in fact, considered
Planet of the Apes Méndez. The film opened on May 26, 1970. Unlike its predecessor, "Beneath" was poorly reviewed; critics typically regard it as the worst of the "Apes" sequels other than the last, "Battle for the Planet of the Apes". Nonetheless, it was a major box office hit, nearing the original's numbers. Despite a conclusion depicting the planet's nuclear destruction, Fox requested another sequel, creating a series. Following the financial success of "Beneath", Arthur P. Jacobs recruited Paul Dehn to write a new script with a brief telegram: "Apes exist, Sequel required." Dehn immediately started work on what became "Escape from the Planet