Tim Burton's £62.5m remake of Planet of the Apes, tipped to be the biggest film release of the year, will be supported by a massive merchandising campaign, including branded chess sets.

The remake of the Charlton Heston classic stars Mark Wahlberg as astronaut Leo Davidson, who gets pulled through a timewarp and crash-lands on a strange planet where talking apes rule over the human race.

With the help of sympathetic chimpanzee activist Ari, played by English actress Helena Bonham-Carter, and a small band of human rebels, Leo leads the effort to evade the advancing gorilla army, led by General Thade, portrayed by actor Tim Roth.

The quest leads Leo to the forbidden zone, which holds the shocking secrets of mankind's past and the key to its future

A tide of toys, games and accessories for both children and adults will be launched to coincide with the movie's release.

In the UK, merchandising firm Character Options is to launch a range of Planet of the Apes-branded sculpture puzzles retailing at £15.99, chess sets at £24.99, a range of computer mouse-mats at £5.99 and CD wallets featuring scenes from the movie at £8.99.

There will also be watches and clocks for adults and children - from metal designs to teen fashion watches with interchangeable faces.

A "back to school" stationery and luggage range, including A4 ringbinders, spiralbound notebooks, mobile phone covers, backpacks and purses, will aim to cash in on the timing of the movie release.

A gift range includes collectable bean bag toys and cuddly toys, 3D keyrings and a variety of glassware & photographic mugs.

Character Options saw its share price shattered after overestimating demand for products relating to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and was forced to cut 100 jobs.

It was not the only problem caused by the weakening power of the Force - book publisher Dorling Kindersley had to be sold after a fiasco in which the company was left burdened with 10m unsold Star Wars books.