Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was a massive success this past weekend and now director Matt Reeves has revealed that an after-credits scene was originally intended to be included.
But unlike other summer blockbusters, like Marvel’s most recent films, this sequel didn’t have an after-credits scene for fans to talk about as they headed out of the theater in anticipation for the next film in the series.
Director Matt Reeves has now revealed that he actually had an alternate ending, or after-credits scene, in mind which he cut from the final film in a recent interview with Collider.
The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director says, “We actually did have an ending that went one step further, and I realized late in the game I was like ‘Wait a minute, I don’t want us to be boxed in this way.’”
Reeves was referring to the scene where Gary Oldman reveals to Malcolm that he has made contact with the military already and that they’re headed to the city via a large ship to take care of the apes before he sets off the C4 below the tower where Caesar and Koba fought.
What’s interesting is that the scene Reeves is talking about actually appears in the film’s final trailer, where we clearly see a large ship headed underneath the bridge between San Francisco and the apes’ home in the forest. Check out a screengrab of the shot below:
While the ending of the film felt right, where Caesar tells Malcolm that war has already begun, it would have been nice to see a more direct nod towards the third film in the series.
Reeves could have easily gone with the shot of the military ship heading into the city to battle with the apes to cap the film off, but he went with a quiet moment between ape and man, allowing the audience to feel the dread of war that’s sure to come.
Also, if you did listen closely towards the end you may have heard some rumbling and what appeared to be an ape breathing. Some have speculated that this was Koba attempting to free himself from the tower rubble.
While it would have been interesting to have an after-credits scene hinting at the battle ahead, it’s nice to see a director willing to leave off an extra scene which would undoubtedly get fans talking in an attempt to create a more harmonious story.
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Either way, his final decision worked as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes currently holds a 91% rating and has pulled in over $100 million at the box office during its opening weekend.
The third film, titled War of the Planet of the Apes, will hit theaters in 2016 and fans are already anticipating the final battle between humans and apes with Caesar leading the charge.
There will also be an extended cut of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes when it’s released on DVD and Blu-ray. While Reeves wouldn’t confirm that an alternate ending was going to be included on the Blu-ray, he did say that he would include the film’s extended edition.
Were you hoping to see an after-credits scene for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, or did the film feel complete as Caesar reveals to Malcolm that war has begun?