With the rather unfortunate recent news that director Ruper Wyatt would no longer be getting his primate on for the sequel to surprise smash hit Of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes of the (I think I covered all the “of the”‘s), FOX has been hunting for his replacement.
As such, they’ve gathered up a rather nice collection of potential directors, with a certain monster man, who’s also just had another big name project fall off his plate, leading the pack.
Deadline reports that Cloverfield and Let Me In helmer, Matt Reeves is currently the likeliest choice to get the nod, and frankly, I think he’s a great pick. He’s already proven his hand at both big budget CGI spectacle and smaller character moments. Along with this news, also comes the announcement that Reeves is no longer attached to direct the new feature film adaptation of Twilight Zone.
Now you may think that this strengthens his chances of hanging out with Ceasar and boys even more, but it’s cited that he pulled out of that project due to scheduling conflicts. After the successes of his earlier two efforts, Reeves has become a man in demand, and has no less than 6 other projects already on his calendar. Would he be able to squeeze in another, especially considering that the reason that Wyatt bailed was FOX’s ridiculously tight deadlines set for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?
Well, if Reeves doesn’t get it, the other names being bandied around are J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed), Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) and Jeff Nichols (Mud), who are all fine directors in their own light but their roots are more in horror and drama than sci-fi though.
Then in the part of the list that should really be titled “Yeah, right. In your dreams” we also find the names of Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible), Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) and Guillermo del Toro.
While the former two should probably be excluded just based on their choices of past projects, the latter in the form of Guillermo Del Toro, sounds like nothing but a geeky wish. The fan favourite director has a slew of massive projects on his horizon, and is still busy with his giant monsters vs giant mechs extravaganza, Pacific Rim, so there’s as much chance of him helming the franchise as there is of Darryn winning Miss Teen USA for a second time.
Last Updated: September 26, 2012
