That was quick.
Daniel reported the news that original director Rupert Wyatt was walking away from a sequel to his phenomenal Rise of the Planet of the Apes – supposedly on the grounds that he felt a Memorial Day 2014 release date would keep him from delivering a decent picture. In light of this unfortunate development Fox put together a shortlist of directors they were eyeing to step in. Chief among those names was Matt Reeves, director of Cloverfield and the so-so Let Me In. Today Coming Soon reports that Reeves has indeed been offered and accepted the job.
This isn’t terrible news, I’m unapologetic in my Cloverfield love and Reeves showed he’s capable of more than found-footage with Let Me In. Fox seemed to move quickly as Reeves’ upcoming Twilight Zone reboot fell apart. Still, better news would have seen Fox wising up and giving Wyatt the time he needed to make his movie. Rise did just fine with its August slot and there’s no reason to think a highly-anticipated sequel would be any different. I’m not completely convinced Reeves is capable of striking the tonal balance that ended up being one of the biggest assets in Wyatt’s film.
Reeves will probably do fine. And I find solace in Andy Serkis reprising Caesar. It’s moments like these where we have to be thankful Len Wiseman is busy doing something else right now.