Mike86

What are you referring to??

brainee

I think he misread the first post: instead of seven-figure deal, reading it as seven-film deal

Mr. Cinema

Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) has been hired to write the script.

islandclaws

We have a title: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

We have a date: 5/23/14

Mods, get on it.

Groucho

TGM

Shannon Nutt

Not a big fan of that title..."There's only one DAWN and it's OF THE DEAD." as Randall might say.

Iron_Giant

Sounds great, it must be like "Battle for the Planet of the Apes".

The last remaining humans and apes battle each other. Apes win and take over fully this time, humans go dumb which cause them not to be able to speak.

Abob Teff

Much better title than the original selection ... the next movie is more about how the apes begin to build their empire. The title was originally slated to be "Erection of the Planet of the Apes" ...

clappj

milo bloom

A little more subtle than I would have gone for, but it works for me. That release date doesn't though.

Meglos

islandclaws

From Dark Horizons:

It looks as if "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" director Rupert Wyatt will NOT be returning for the upcoming sequel at 20th Century Fox says Deadline.

Wyatt’s departure is reportedly the same reason Gary Ross dropped out of returning for "The Hunger Games" sequel - namely the director wasn't comfortable hitting the May 23rd 2014 release date the studio had already announced.

Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver have reportedly already turned in a script which the studio has warmed to, so now things are being readied in time to make that date. It's expected the studio and producers will quickly go about finding a replacement as the franchise has become one of the more important at the studio.

With the 'Apes' sequel no longer int he cards, Wyatt can pursue other projects he has been linked to including the Charlize Theron-led "Agent 13" and "Londongrad" about former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko's poisoning.

*****************************************************************

Ideas on a replacement?

RichC2

20 months isn't enough time?

islandclaws

That's probably Hollywood code for "I think the script sucks, but the studio is intent on making it and I want out".

RichC2

or "Give me more money"

milo bloom

Well damn. I guess it was too much to ask for a nice, well-made trilogy of modern Apes films.

I know the original sequels weren't cinematic masterpieces, but Escape and Conquest have a lot going for them in their own way, maybe we'll at least get something like that for this one.

Dr. DVD

If it's the same screenwriters, I hold out hope. Wyatt was more or less a hired gun for the first one, so he isn't necessary. I just hope they don't get someone like Renny Harlin or Brett Ratner.

Solid Snake

...Well there were issues w/ the script. I thought the direction was well done.

Dr. DVD

While I doubt it will happen, maybe they should give Andy Serkis a shot at taking the director's chair. A large amount involved motion capture, at which he is obviously an expert. Furthermore, Peter Jackon kept him on Hobbit as a 2nd unit director, so he is getting some experience in doing FX heavy material.

Just a thought.

RocShemp

Didn't Serkis recently direct some foreign thriller as well?

Solid Snake

Dunno. But having Serkis direct would be a good thing I think. Though...I wonder if Fox would push him around...and would he allow that if it needed to be like that? Also...Rothman is out soooo...maybe Fox is director friendly?

Dr. DVD

I don't see Serkis as someone with final cut, but I do see him as being someone who has enough respect for the franchise to not let it suck.

islandclaws

From Collider:

After reporting that director Rupert Wyatt was exiting Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox is now looking for a replacement. As of this writing, it looks like Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) is leading the pack. Rounding out the short list of directors is J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and Jeff Nichols (Mud). Longer shots being reported are Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro (doubtful), Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) and Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart).

Deadline also reports that the directors will be meeting with Fox production president Emma Watts to see who’s best suited to helm the sequel. The current draft turned in by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver has pleased execs so they’re looking to get back on track quickly. As is usually the case with these short list stories, take the news with a grain of salt until we get studio confirmation. For instance, del Toro is almost always on a studio’s short list and while a del Toro Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel would be enticing, I’d be surprised if he moved his schedule around for it. On the other side of the coin is Cooper, a director known for turning down major tentpole projects to focus on character-driven dramas. He’s only taken on one directorial assignment after 2009′s Crazy Heart, the currently-in-post Out of the Furnace.

Nichols has shown he has the chops to handle character development. Blakeson, Fresnadillo and Bayona are interesting choices since their careers feature strong horror backgrounds. I’d still put my money on Reeves (especially since he’s no longer attached to direct The Twilight Zone), but we’ll wait until this situation shakes out. Shouldn’t be too long.

Matthew Chmiel

I wonder if some of those directors will rewrite the script as nearly every director they chose is also a writer.

... like, it's turned out well extremely for Marvel.