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Still from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Film 2 of 9 · by Priya Nair

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970): Cast, Plot and Ending Explained

Beneath the Planet of the Apes is the 1970 sequel to Planet of the Apes (1968), directed by Ted Post, in which astronaut Brent follows the missing Taylor into the Forbidden Zone and finds telepathic mutants who worship an atomic bomb. It is the second film in release order and the sixth in chronological order, and people also search for it as the second Apes film, or Planet of the Apes 2 (1970).

Image: TMDB
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) theatrical poster
US release
May 26, 1970
Runtime
1h 35m
Rating
G / 15
Director
Ted Post
Budget
$3 million
Worldwide
$19 million

What Is the Plot of Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

The plot of Beneath the Planet of the Apes follows a second astronaut, Brent, who crash lands on the planet from planet of the apes 1968 and goes looking for the missing George Taylor.

The film opens in the desert of the Forbidden Zone, where Taylor and the mute woman Nova are traveling. Strange fire and splitting ground follow them, and Taylor disappears through a rock wall, leaving Nova alone. A second spaceship then crash lands nearby. Its only survivor, Brent, buries his dead crewmate Skipper and finds Nova wearing Taylor's dog tags. He rides with her toward Ape City to look for Taylor.

That is where the first act ends. Everything that follows, including what waits beneath the city, is covered in the full plot.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Cast and Characters

Planet of the Apes cast

More of the cast: Lou Wagner (Luicius), Army Archerd (Gorilla (uncredited)), James Bacon (Ape (uncredited)).

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Stills

  • Still from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
    Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), still 1
  • Still from Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
    Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), still 2

Release Dates

MarketDateSource
USMay 26, 1970reportedthe-numbers.com
UKNovember 6, 1970reportedthemoviedb.org
AUTBCNot yet sourced

Where to Watch Beneath the Planet of the Apes

MarketSubscriptionRent or buy
USNone listedAmazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
UKDisney PlusApple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store, YouTube
AUDisney PlusApple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, checked 2026-11-03.

Who Directed Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

DirectorTed Post
WritersPaul Dehn, Mort Abrahams, Pierre Boulle
ProducersArthur P. Jacobs
MusicLeonard Rosenman
CinematographyMilton Krasner

Box Office

Budget$3 million
Domestic (US and Canada)$19 million
InternationalNot reported
Worldwide$19 million
Worldwide, in September 2026 dollars$165 million

Planet of the Apes box office for every film.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Soundtrack and Score

Leonard Rosenman composed the score for Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and the soundtrack album of the same title was released by Amos Records in 1970. The album runs to 11 tracks.

The release is a score album, so the music is the main thing it offers. No individual songs are named for this album, which means there are no song titles, artists or scene placements to report, and the album is best approached as one complete score rather than a set of singles.

For anyone who wants to hear the film's music away from the picture, the album is the direct route. Rosenman's score makes up the whole of the release, and listening through the 11 tracks in order gives a full sense of the music from start to finish. If you want the music with the story, watch the film after listening, so the score is already familiar when it returns on screen.

For the composers, albums and scores across the rest of the series, see the planet of the apes soundtrack page.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes album cover

Beneath the Planet of the Apes

Soundtrack album · Amos Records · 1970 · 11 tracks

Cover art via Cover Art Archive

Full tracklist

  1. 1Opening Statement (Cornelius) · [dialogue]0:29
  2. 2Main Title · Leonard Rosenman2:04
  3. 3General Ursus' Address · [dialogue]0:35
  4. 4Ape Fury / Students / Peace & Freedom / Underground City · Leonard Rosenman4:16
  5. 5Turkish Bath (Ursus and Zaius) · [dialogue]1:15
  6. 6March of the Apes · Leonard Rosenman2:59
  7. 7The Chase · Leonard Rosenman3:31
  8. 8Brent's Interrogation · [dialogue]1:38
  9. 9Captured · Leonard Rosenman2:31
  10. 10Mass of the Holy Bomb · Leonard Rosenman5:40
  11. 11Doomsday · [dialogue]1:05

Sources: musicbrainz.org, themoviedb.org

Planet of the Apes soundtrack

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Plot: The Full StorySpoilers

The full plot of Beneath the Planet of the Apes moves from an ape invasion plan to a buried city of mutants and ends with the destruction of the planet.

In Ape City, General Ursus rallies the apes to invade the Forbidden Zone, over the objections of Dr. Zaius. Brent is wounded and treated by the chimpanzees Cornelius and Zira, who tell him about Taylor. Brent and Nova are then captured, but Zira helps them escape into a cave. The cave turns out to be a ruined subway station, and Brent realizes he is standing on a devastated future Earth.

In the ruins below the city he finds telepathic mutant humans who worship an old atomic bomb. They use illusions and mind control on him, and he discovers Taylor held captive. Their leader Mendez forces the two men to fight until Nova's scream breaks his hold, and together they kill him. Taylor explains that the bomb is a doomsday weapon.

The apes then invade the underground city and a battle breaks out. Nova is killed, Mendez raises the bomb into position and is shot, and Taylor is wounded while confronting Zaius. Brent kills Ursus and is shot dead himself. A dying Taylor presses the detonator and the whole planet is destroyed.

So, what happened to the humans in Beneath the Planet of the Apes? Nova dies in the fighting, Mendez is shot, and both astronauts, Brent and Taylor, die as well. Taylor's last act sets off the bomb, and the planet is destroyed.

Where and When Did Beneath the Planet of the Apes Premiere?

Beneath the Planet of the Apes opened at the Loew's Beverly Theatre in Los Angeles, with The Numbers dating the US release to May 26, 1970.

Box Office Mojo lists the earliest release a day later, on May 27, 1970, so the exact opening day depends on the source. The UK release followed on November 6, 1970, according to TMDB, almost six months after the American opening. The film carried a G rating in the United States and a 15 in the UK.

It earned about $19 million in the US, according to Box Office Mojo, against a $3 million budget. Box Office Mojo lists no international figure, so its worldwide total equals the domestic one. The Numbers shows a lower domestic gross of about $17.5 million. The full series picture is on the planet of the apes box office page.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Ending ExplainedSpoilers

The ending of Beneath the Planet of the Apes is the destruction of the entire planet, set off by a dying Taylor who presses the detonator of the mutants' doomsday bomb.

Here is what happens in sequence. The apes storm the underground city, Nova is killed, and Mendez raises the bomb into position before he is shot. Taylor, wounded while confronting Zaius, sees that neither side will stop. Brent kills Ursus and is shot dead himself. Taylor then presses the detonator, and the planet is gone.

Why does Taylor do it? In my opinion, the film leaves him with no argument left to make. He has watched the apes march into a war of conquest and the mutants prepare to answer with a weapon, and the bomb is the only thing in the story that ends both fights at once. It could be argued that this is the bleakest choice the saga ever makes, because the heroes do not win and nobody is spared. It also fits the terms under which Charlton Heston agreed to appear, since Taylor had to be killed off and his pay went to charity.

The ending is also less final than it looks. In escape from the planet of the apes, released in 1971, the chimpanzees Cornelius, Zira and Dr. Milo repair Taylor's spaceship and flee just before their world is destroyed, then land in 1973 Los Angeles. Perhaps the cleanest reading is that the bomb closes this world while the escape ship carries the story somewhere new. That is why planet of the apes movies in order places Beneath the Planet of the Apes sixth chronologically yet second by release, and why the planet of the apes timeline treats the ending as a hinge and not a full stop.

Where Was Beneath the Planet of the Apes Filmed?

Beneath the Planet of the Apes was filmed around Los Angeles, California, mostly on studio sets, with production beginning in February 1969.

The underground world was built from reused material. The mutants' council chamber and bomb temple used sets redressed from Hello, Dolly! and from the Grand Central 42nd Street subway station. That suits the story, because the cave Brent and Nova escape into turns out to be a ruined subway station. The reuse is also one visible sign of the budget pressure the production faced, when its budget was cut from $5 million to $2.5 million.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes Trivia

The production history of Beneath the Planet of the Apes is full of compromises, and most of them trace back to money and availability.

  • Production began in February 1969.
  • The budget was reportedly cut from $5 million to $2.5 million after several underperforming Fox films, and The Numbers lists the final figure as $3 million.
  • Charlton Heston agreed to appear briefly on the condition that Taylor be killed off and his pay go to charity. His scenes were shot in eight days.
  • Roddy McDowall was unavailable, so David Watson played Cornelius.
  • The mutants' council chamber and bomb temple used redressed sets from Hello, Dolly! and the Grand Central 42nd Street subway station.
  • Jerry Goldsmith was unavailable, so Leonard Rosenman composed the score.

Taken together, these explain why the sequel looks and sounds different from the first film, with a new lead, a new Cornelius and a new composer, even though Kim Hunter and Maurice Evans carry the ape side over from 1968.

Facts

FAQs

What is Planet of the Apes 2 (1970) called, and which film should I watch first, Planet of the Apes (1968) or Planet of the Apes (2001)?

Planet of the Apes 2 (1970) is Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the second film in release order. Watch planet of the apes 1968 first, then this film. The 2001 film is a spin-off and sits outside the original run. The full sequence is on the planet of the apes movies in order page.

What is the plot of Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

Astronaut Brent crash lands in the Forbidden Zone, meets Nova and follows her toward Ape City to search for the missing Taylor. He is led underground to telepathic mutants who worship an atomic bomb. The apes invade, and Taylor sets off the bomb, destroying the planet.

Why was Charlton Heston not in Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

Charlton Heston is in the film, but only briefly, billed fourth as Taylor. He agreed to appear on the condition that Taylor be killed off and his pay go to charity, and his scenes were shot in eight days. James Franciscus leads the cast as Brent.

Was Beneath the Planet of the Apes good?

Whether it is good is a matter of taste. On the numbers, it earned about $19 million in the US according to Box Office Mojo, on a budget of $3 million according to The Numbers. It is also the film that destroys the planet, so it shapes everything that follows.

What happened to the humans in Beneath the Planet of the Apes?

Spoiler warning: the apes invade the mutants' underground city and a battle breaks out. Nova is killed, Mendez is shot, and Brent and Taylor both die. Taylor sets off the bomb the mutants worship, which destroys the planet.

Where can I watch Beneath the Planet of the Apes streaming?

According to JustWatch data via TMDB, checked November 3, 2026, the film is on Disney Plus in the UK and Australia. In the US it is available to rent or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home, and to rent on Spectrum On Demand. For the other films, see where to watch planet of the apes.