While the 2011 prequel movie does not exactly reveal what happened to James Franco, subtle hints here and there confirm his tragic fate in 2014 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
In the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, actor James Franco played the role of scientist Will Rodman. He is the man who created the virus ALZ-113, the reason for the Simian Flu, which in turn collapsed humanity.
At the end of the film, James Franco’s Will Rodman bids final farewell to Caesar, an intelligent chimpanzee he raised. After that, there is no solid revelation of what happened to James Franco.
Nevertheless, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hinted that Will and his girlfriend Caroline passed away due to a virus outbreak.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
IMDb Action Drama Sci-FiA substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising.
| Director | Rupert Wyatt |
| Release Date | August 5, 2011 |
| Studio | 20th Century Studios, FilmFlex |
| Cast | James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto |
| Writers | Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Pierre Boulle |
| Runtime | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Rating | PG – 13 |
Multiple references in the movie ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ suggest James Franco’s demise!
After the dramatic events in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Will Rodman does not appear in the following storyline.
But it became more evident in the 2014 sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In one scene, Caesar hides in Will’s house, which has a cross sign on the front indicating infected sick people inside.
So, it appears James Franco was infected by the Simian Flu and passed away at the initial phase of the outbreak. Many believe this must have happened as James Franco had multiple potential exposures to the virus.
What happened to Will from rise he just disappears did he die off screen?
byu/Dantober11 inPlanetOfTheApes
Besides the X mark, there is also Will’s old station wagon, deserted in front of his house indicating he never left the house.
Moreover, director Matt Reeves himself clarified in an interview at WonderCon that James Franco’s character dies sometime between the first film and this one. He said, “He [Caesar] has a human father in Will, who died in the viral apocalypse.”
Also, as per the original script, James Franco’s character was doomed to die in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. He was meant to meet his end in a firearm skirmish aimed at Caesar by the owner of the primate shelter, John Landon.
They even shot the scene, but the clip did not make the final cut. However, there are screenshots of the deleted footage online where James Franco appears to have a gunshot.
Additional Information
- James Franco made an uncredited brief cameo in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,’ footage shot for its prequel.
- Not only the director but also many fans liked the concept of James Franco’s demise from the virus he himself created. The virus annihilated 99% of humanity, so fans believe he deserved it.
- Recently, a new stand-alone sequel movie, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, came out.
