The next day, Rodman and Jacobs appear before the board at Gen-Sys’ conference room. Will explains that the new drug causes neurogenesis, which allows the brain to grow new brain cells (something that doesn’t happen after birth) and heal any number of degenerative brain disorders, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. The only side effect is that the subjects exposed to the drug have a green sparkle to the eyes.
Back in the lab, the senior ape caretaker named Robert Franklin (Labine) is having trouble coaxing Bright Eyes out of her cage, acting aggressively towards Robert and the other helpers. They attempt to lure her out of the cage with orange soda, but when they try to wrangle her with a lasso pole, she goes “ape,” and runs rampant through the building. The chase ends when she crashes through the glass window of the conference room, and the building’s security guards kill her.
Fearing that what they witnessed with Bright Eyes is a violent side effect of the drug, Jacobs pronounces the drug project ‘dead.’ Will attempts to change his mind, but Jacobs refuses, claiming he wants the remainder of the test apes ‘put down.’
After returning to the lab, Robert shows Will a baby ape hidden in Bright Eyes cell. This explains that their assumption was in error: Bright Eyes was not acting violently because of the drug, but to protect her child. Robert does not have the heart to put down the baby, and gives the task to Will. Unwilling to do this, he decies to take the baby home.
Will returns home, where he lives with his father, Charles (John Lithgow). Charles is currently suffering from Alzheimers, and needs care from a nurse when Will is not around. Will shows the baby ape to Charles, who soon takes a liking to it. Charles playfully calls the baby Caesar (implied from his love of the Shakespeare play).
Caesar soon begins to show incredible progress, able to feed himself after only 2 days, and the temporary caring for him soon pushes on to 3 years, with Will setting up a room for him in the attic his home. Though apelike in some areas, Caesar also has become domesticated. He can communicate through sign-language, and communicate complex ideas and statements.
[Via IMDB]
