'Planet of the Apes' stars talk about filming in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco hosted the world premier for "The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" movie Thursday night at the Palace of Fine Arts. ABC7 News was there at the red carpet as the stars told us what they loved about working on the latest movie set in the Bay Area.

In 2026, San Francisco doesn't fare so well as the future battlefield in the war between humans and apes.

Director Matt Reeves said, "It's very emotional because about two years ago, we came here, our production designer and some of our effects people just looking around for locations that we might shoot in. And here it is two years later and the movie is done and the experience is over and we're now about to share it with the world. It's very exciting and I love the Bay Area. It's really cool to be back here."

The San Francisco Film Commission works to bring projects to the Bay Area. The bigger, the better because it means jobs of and a bump in tourism.

Susannah Greason Robbins from the San Francisco Film Commission said, "We're really happy to have any film. These block busters though, because they're seen by so many millions of people and because they're so large, they're spending a lot of money in the local economy. So we're very happy to have them."

Bay Area native Nick Thurson dons an ape costume; he plays "Blue Eyes".

Thurson said, "The way that we show the Bay Area and the way that it has transformed in our movie is obviously much different than the way it is now. And let's hope it stays that way for a while."

Star Gary Oldman didn't address his recent interview with Playboy in which he made offensive comments about Jewish people, but Oldman did mention his favorite theme in the story.

Oldman said, "We hope that we can all co-exist. I think at one point the movie it presents that and offers that up."

The movie opens July 11.