With under two years to get into theaters, 20th Century Fox are wasting no time on locking down a director for their sequel to last year’s surprise hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After Rupert Wyatt dropped out of the project, we were offered up a short list and it looks like the studio got their top choice. Cloverfield and Let Me In helmer Matt Reeves has now signed on direct Dawn Of The Planet of the Apes, Deadline reports. Whereas Wyatt came out of nowhere with just his debut film The Escapist under his belt, Reeves has some studio experience with his other two features.
Having adored his take on the monster movie genre with his J.J. Abrams collaboration, I was a bit disappointed by the unnecessary nature of his latest remake of Let the Right One In. But with a completed script by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, this new Apes film will hopefully substantially boost Reeves’ young career. Even though a release date is looming ahead, the studio says everything is on track to move forward now that a director in on board. In terms of story, not much has been revealed, but as pre-production gears up, look for updates as they come in.
Dawn Of The Planet of the Apes arrives on May 23rd, 2014.