The short list of potential directors on tap for Fox’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has been narrowed down to one, as Cloverfield director Matt Reeves appears to have emerged victorious and cut a deal to helm the sequel.
Reeves “has been set” to take over the Apes sequel from Rupert Wyatt, who departed when he feared he couldn’t make the pre-determined release date mandated by the studio, Deadline reports. Reeves edged out such reported contenders as Rian Johnson (Looper), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) and J. Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed). Though Deadline claims that Reeves always was at the top of the list, and him landing the sequel was just a matter of signing on the dotted line.
Back when the hiring was in question, Katey and I debated the best choice for Dawn. I went with Reeves for two reasons: He proved with Cloverfield that he can be creative with effects, and he needs a hit after the abysmal showing of the underappreciated Let Me In. Whomever took over the Apes sequel, they were going to be saddled with a tight production schedule and expectations set by Wyatt’s surprise hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But I honestly believe that from the list of contenders, Reeves is one of the guys capable of pulling this sequel off.
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver reportedly have delivered a shooting script that Fox likes, so everyone expects Dawn to hit its May 23, 2014 release date. What do you think? Is Reeves a good hire? Do you still have faith in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?
