In which 2001 movie did Michael Clarke Duncan play the character Colonel Attar?

Michael Clarke Duncan played Colonel Attar in the 2001 movie Planet of the Apes. Duncan portrayed Attar as a powerful gorilla military officer and an associate of General Thade, the film’s main ape antagonist.

Directed by Tim Burton, Planet of the Apes is a reimagining of the 1968 science-fiction film, which itself was adapted from Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel La Planète des singes. The 2001 story follows astronaut Leo Davidson, played by Mark Wahlberg, after he lands on a planet ruled by intelligent apes and populated by enslaved humans.

Duncan’s Attar is part of Thade’s military hierarchy and helps pursue the human characters. The cast also included Helena Bonham Carter as Ari, Tim Roth as Thade, Paul Giamatti as Limbo, and Kris Kristofferson as Karubi. Duncan had recently become widely known for The Green Mile, in which he played John Coffey.

A common mix-up is confusing this film with the original 1968 Planet of the Apes or the later reboot series beginning with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011. Duncan’s Colonel Attar belongs specifically to Tim Burton’s 2001 film.