Planet of the Apes was based on Pierre Boulle's 1963 science fiction novel of the same name.
Planet of the Apes (1968 film) . The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling was loosely based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle . La Planète des Singes , known in English as Planet of the Apes and Monkey Planet , is a 1963 science fiction novel by French author Pierre Boulle .