RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Sequel Talk (Beware Spoilers!)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes has defied Hollywood's box office expectations by grossing an astounding $54 million in North America, plus another $23 million overseas. Given word of mouth on this one, it wouldn't be surprising if the grosses didn't drop all that much next weekend. Speaking of word of mouth, VFK editor Ed Gross recently chatted with Rise director Rupert Wyatt and the conversation turned to a potential sequel. One point that was made is the notion that language would likely play a much larger role in the next entry.
   "I think so," replied Wyatt. "The thing is, apes don't have a voice box -- well, actually they don't have an Adam's Apple, but they do have a voice box. Their larnyx is set far lower in their throat, hence the reason why they cannot speak. Through genetic enhancement you could elevate that. We actually had a scene, which we cut, where Caroline the veterinarian [Freida Pinto] sees that there's something different about Caesar's throat, but the trouble with that was, then the audience would say, 'Oh, I know where that's going.' So we had to be very careful and decided not to use that. But in the next film we could do that; we could see how they're taught to speak and how they evolve. That would be great."