SUBMITTED BY katystarlet

August 8, 2001 — Director Kevin Smith told fans on his official View Askew Web site message board that he considered suing Planet of the Apes director Tim Burton for allegedly appropriating Apes' surprise ending from one of Smith's comics. The image in question appeared on page 7 of Jay and Silent Bob No. 3 and mirrors the ending of Burton's Apes remake.

"Believe me, I contemplated legal action," Smith wrote to fans, who first made the connection. The image gives away the controversial ending of Burton's movie.

But Burton denied he stole the idea from Smith. "I have not seen the image, and anybody that knows me knows I do not read comic books," Burton told the New York Post. "And I especially wouldn't read anything that was created by Kevin Smith."