Planet of the Apes is a TV show.
Planet of the Apes (1968 film) . The film tells the story of an astronaut crew who crash-land on a strange planet in the distant future . Directors J. Lee Thompson and Blake Edwards were approached , but the film 's producer Arthur P. Jacobs , upon the recommendation of Charlton Heston , chose Franklin J. Schaffner to direct the film . The film was released on February 8 , 1968 , in the United States and was a commercial success , earning a lifetime domestic gross of $ 32.6 million .