Beneath the Planet of the Apes is an 1970 American speculative fiction film of the adventure and science fiction subgenres. It is the second installment in the original Planet of the Apes film series and follows 1968's Planet of the Apes. A sequel, Escape from the Planet of the Apes was released in 1971. Beneath the Planet of the Apes was directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn and Mort Abrahams. It was produced by APJAC Productions and released theatrically in the United States by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation on May 26th, 1970. The film stars James Franciscus in the role of time-lost astronaut John Brent. Returning cast members from the first film include Kim Hunter as Doctor Zira, Maurice Evans as Doctor Zaius, Linda Harrison as Nova and Charlton Heston making a special g