Director J. Lee Thompson may not be a widely recognized name in the world of cinema, with minor hits like the war film The Guns of Navarone, the original 1962 Cape Fear, and the acclaimed drama/romance Woman in a Dressing Gown. But Thompson has cemented himself in cinema history by directing Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes, even though the films marked the franchise's downfall.