Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes stayed true to franchise thematics, highlighting human hubris and treatment of animals. Despite potential for a sequel, Burton's version was criticized harshly by both critics and fellow directors, leading to its downfall. Burton's vision, while not a critical favorite, brought a unique take to the franchise, leaving a cliffhanger ending that fans wanted resolved.

Tim Burtons Planet of the Apes was an attempt to reinvigorate a franchise that began with the 1968 movie of the same name but, despite a significant box office take, it never received a sequel. This version of the classic story of a man who crash-lands on a planet ruled by apes is an anomaly, coming as it does several decades after the last of the original movies and a decade before the franchise found new life with a trilogy. As such, its a particularly fascinating example of a Hollywood what-might-have-been.