Nordling here.
I was a little bummed to hear that Rupert Wyatt would not be returning to the se-prequel (or whatever these things are being called) to RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. I think Wyatt brought a real sense of scale and yet didn't forget to care about the characters as well. RISE was the most surprising movie of 2011, because I think most everyone expected it to not be very good. That it turned out to be one of the best genre movies of that year can be laid at the feet of Rupert Wyatt, I feel.
Last week Fox threw out some potential names to continue the franchise, but according to Deadline it was always Matt Reeves' to turn down, and he has accepted the directing slot for DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, with Andy Serkis returning to the role of Caesar, the hero of the ape revolution. I still like CLOVERFIELD a lot, and although I vastly prefer the original, Reeves didn't embarrass himself with LET ME IN, the LET THE RIGHT ONE IN remake. In fact, there are some interesting visual moments in that film, and the performances are across the board excellent.
My concern is that the sense of characterization and emotion that made the first one so good will be diffused, but I don't think I need to worry on that front. Reeves did well with that aspect of LET ME IN, and Serkis is just so damn good at what he does that Reeves would do well to just step aside and let Serkis do his thing. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES will be released on May 23, 2014.
