Earlier this month the Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, ran into a crisis. Despite earning critical acclaim for his work, director Rupert Wyatt made the decision to leave the project, feeling that the studio wasn't giving him enough time to do the film properly. This, of course, left 20th Century Fox with a huge problem that they needed to resolve quickly, and it was immediately apparent that the job would become one of the most sought after in Hollywood. Today the short list of replacement directors has been revealed.
Deadline has learned the names of the filmmakers that will be meeting with Fox production president Emma Watts about the possibility of directing Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The list includes Matt Reeves, best known for helming Cloverfield and Let Me In (who is apparently at the top of the list); J Blakeson, who made the 2009 thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed; Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, director of 28 Weeks Later and Intruders fame; Jeff Nichols, who helmed last year's amazing drama Take Shelter; Guillermo del Toro, who is still hard at work on Pacific Rim; Juan Antonio Bayona, the filmmaker behind 2007's The Orphanage; and Rian Johnson, who directed the upcoming sci-fi action film Looper. The site says that a decision should be made fairly soon, and apparently one of the biggest selling points is that they are promising filmmakers "more creative leeway." The script has already been written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who also wrote Rise, and Fox is currently targeting a May 23, 2014 release date.
Obviously there are a number of immensely talented filmmakers mentioned in that list, and it would be interesting to see any of them take on a Planet of the Apes film. Of those seven directors, who would you like to see take on the project? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
