20th Century Fox has confirmed that Matt Reeves (Let Me In) will direct Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, replacing Rise of the Planet of the Apes helmer Rupert Wyatt.
ComingSoon reported the news, which was later confirmed by a 20th Century Fox representative, as Reeves, who has previously helmed Cloverfield and Let Me In, will join the franchise.
Last week a short-list of desired directors for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was released, which included, among Reeves, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later), J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage), and Guillermo Del Toro, although it’s doubtful many of those directors were ever close to signing on, particularly Del Toro.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Rupert Wyatt, grossed a whopping $481.8 million worldwide upon its release last year, prompting Fox to create a potential franchise out of it. The original film starred James Franco, Frieda Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar. As of now only Serkis is signed on to return.
The exact plot of the follow-up is not yet known, as a script is still currently in production from Scott Z. Burns (Contagion) and Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, who wrote the original film. A release date for the film has been set for May 23, 2014, which makes us think there will be much more information on this one in the coming months, including word on whether Franco will return as Will Rodman.
Reeves is currently attached to several other projects, so it’s not yet clear what the status on those are, as Reeves will no doubt be preoccupied with this film for the next few years.