'Planet Of The Apes' Movie Premieres In San Francisco, Despite Limited Filming Within City
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- It was lights, camera, but not much action for San Francisco as a new Planet of the Apes film premiered Thursday night at the Palace of Fine Arts.
The movie is set in Muir Woods and San Francisco, but was actually shot in Vancouver and New Orleans.
"The parts that we shot in Vancouver, it actually feels a lot like San Francisco," Bay Area actor Nick Thurston said.
With more than 250 movies set in San Francisco, the city is arguably one of Hollywood's favorite cinematic destinations. But, only about 150 of those films were shot in the Bay Area.
Only three days of filming happened in San Francisco for the new Planet of the Apes movie.
The choice usually comes down to cost.
"There are certainly in New Orleans and Vancouver, there are definitely tax breaks that make it sort of an incentive to shoot there," director Matt Reeves said.
Special effects make scenes filmed outside the Bay Area look like believable, but they don't make it any easier for actors trying to imagine a city that's thousands of miles away.
"It was bizarre. I mean, it would've been great to shoot part of it here," actor Gary Oldman said.