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EXCLUSIVE: 20th Century Fox, already undergoing seismic changes with Tom Rothman’s year end exit, might have a major director to replace on one of the studio’s most important film franchises. I’m hearing that Rupert Wyatt, who helmed the superb franchise reboot Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, will leave the sequel. I’m told that Wyatt’s exit is similar to the same reason that Gary Ross stepped out of Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Wyatt didn’t feel comfortable making the May 23, 2014 release date that the studio announced in May.
Fox declined comment, but clearly something is going on. This would be a blow to the studio, but Fox and Chernin Entertainment have such a big hit here that they can aim high for a new helmer. The studio likes the script that Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver have turned in, and they are gearing up to make the date in a movie where the apes take over.
The first film turned out so well, grossing $483 million worldwide and seamlessly set up the apocalyptic sequel plotline. As for Wyatt, he will have no trouble finding another film to direct. He’s attached to direct Agent 13 at Universal with Charlize Theron starring, and he was interested in the Warner Bros film Londongrad, which had Michael Fassbender attached to play Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB spy who was poisoned in 2006 with polonium-210. Wyatt was forced to drop that project so he could get going on the Apes sequel. He’s repped by WME and Independent Talent Group.
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Wow, that is a shocker. Hopefully, Jeffrey Katzenberg will be able to woo him back once he takes over the studio.
Here’s hoping that Jeffrey Katzenberg gives the live action filmmakers like Rupert Wyatt a looser leash than the obvious control he’s going to have over all things animation.
In related news, time to jump from Blue Sky and Fox Animation if it isn’t too late. DreamWorks Animation 2.0 is going to be a powerful bulldozer.
Overall, Fox is going to end up as a much stronger studio in two years time. Jim Gianopulos knows how to steer a confident and steady ship without the Rothman turbulence. And Katzenberg/Oren Aviv will generate some big new franchises.
Very smart of Rupert to exit…a less well-directed sequel will only raise his stock in town.
Still, if this really is a money/schedule thing, Fox/Chernin are fucking up big time. ROTPOTA is that rare movie where the director IS the star.
We don’t make movies, we make release dates.
Wyatt did a good job for the first installment, but let’s not get all dewy eyed here. It’s not like he’s some “visionary” (there’s an overused phrase) filmmaker that wrote his own story. He was a director for hire, that didn’t make a mess of some partly-decent material…and spent a lot of money doing it. As long as Fox don’t put a monkey in the chair, and keep them in front of the camera, they should do fine.
Comments about Chernin agreed, though. The one-two double act of Chernin and Rothman were a blight on Fox. Let’s hope the next guys aren’t just some soulless aparatchiks. It’s time to restore the shine to that two decade tarnishing iconic logo.
If they were pushing for 2 years I would agree, but 3 years between sequels is really the right amount of time. 4 is pushing it. The movie was a bigger hit than anyone expected, but it wasn’t a gigantic blockbuster. People’s interest will wane if you put 4 or more years between these films.
ALIENS.
Make the movie when the script is ready then figure out the release date. Don’t worry, other movies will move out of the way for this sequel. Too many sequels are rushed to make a date without a good script, look at IRON MAN 2.
Couldn’t agree more. People don’t forget good movies. Putting commerce before common sense gives this movie much less of a chance to reach the bar of last year’s reboot.
You mean to tell me that this guy can’t make a two hour movie in TWO YEARS? And he left because he didn’t have enough time?
Spoken like someone who has no clue about how the movie making process works…
That was one of Rothman’s MOs. Pick a date and back the movie into it – the reason Matthew Vaughan dropped out of X-Men 3 – and the reason that a lot of Fox movies – like Wolverine – sucked.
How can he complain that two years is not enough time to do the movie? He knew several months ago that they wanted the sequel for the 2014 Memorial Day slot. That’s 20 months from now. How is that not enough time to complete the movie? What’s the real reason he’s leaving? Obviously he wants more money than they are willing to give him that’s the real reason Gary Ross was let go from Catching Fire.
I’m sorry, but May 23, 2014 doesn’t seem like too much to ask for. I’m surprised they weren’t trying to get this out next year. I don’t see why Wyatt wouldn’t be able to get this thing in production by spring.
An honest question for those in the know: How much (any?) preproduction time is built into schedules once a script is agreed upon by studio/director? Will Weta be able to replicate the quality of their work the first time around given the time frame given here? It just seems to me that the creative side of this equation is taken for granted given how the first one was realized and how it performed.
Weta will do a better job on this than on the first. They are experts and they never miss a deadline. Without Weta there is no franchise they should triple their price for the sequel or quadruple it and FOX would have to pay them whatever they demand.
CGI heavy films take a lot of time to get as right as they got the animals in ROTPOTA…. As a CGI producer, I’ll stick by that
“Not enough time” is a brilliant euphemism for “the studio doesn’t agree with the director’s higher fee demands and is looking for a guy who will do the movie cheaper”.
I’m only writing this because I’m such a fan of ROTPOTA. I’m not involved in this production but blaming the schedule 20 months out of release and when the director has been soft prepping for months is a weak argument. I can only speculate that a script/story/control issue is at play or someone is haggling the directing deal. And if thats the case I say, on principle, shoot the studio execs
And on a tangent – WETA’s effect work on Rise was the best Character Animation I have ever seen. Truly remarkable and a major step forward towards our goal of a Perfect and Immersive Human character via CG Facial Construction and Performance.
This would be a damn shame if Wyatt does not return for the sequel. The simple yet elegant direction of the first film turned a good movie into a great one. I’m not calling him a visionary, yet, but i believe it would be to the detriment of Dawn if he were to not return.
I’m not sure why Rupert Wyatt, needs more time? I would think two years would be enough?
However, considering the audience has waited over 35 years for a decent movie like the original, in this instance, I think the studio should wait for him (whatever, the real reason) and I truly hope he stays on this project.
Again, this franchise only worked because of the Director’s vision and the key stars hand-picked for their roles (which, I hope all will return).
Just, when I thought everything might be working out for this franchise, you tell me this news………NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO.
They never give the real reasons why directors quit, because it makes the studio look bad. The system at Fox is broken, and has been for a long time. They have no interest in creativity, or making great movies, or protecting a director’s vision. Just look at their list of movies for the last ten years. Wyatt’s a real film-maker, and he probably got sick of dealing with morons.
This cannot be about time, as Wyatt came on board the first film just a little over a year before it was released.
The bottom line on this is, the Bottom Line. It’s not just that studios need films to make money, they also need films to make money at the right time. We now live in a world where Wall Street and even casual investors are expecting, if not demanding, that an entertainment company be able to provide predictable profits every quarter. It keeps the stock stable and rising, which is all the investors want. What that product is that keeps the stock stable and rising is irrelevant to investors, as long as it arrives when it is supposed to, makes a profit, and can launch a sequel or a franchise of of it.
By announcing a start date and a release date, they are not only trying to create the inertia on the production side, the studio is also buying time with investors, and satisfying expectations.
This is why we pretty much only see guys in capes, pirates sailing the Caribbean, endless remakes, and desperate attempts for big movies that can metastasize into a million different income streams while also selling well in foreign markets. I love a lot of those movies, but it’s killing every other kind of movie. Every time a studio head has the guts to make a movie outside these parameters, we need to stand up and cheer. We need to applaud their courage and their choice to make something based as much on creative desires as financial ones. Trust me, every studio head I know got into this business to make great movies. They love movies and were inspired by Network and The Graduate and Butch and Sundance and Kramer vs Kramer and Bonnie and Clyde and Harold and Maude and Midnight Cowboy and Chinatown, and Annie Hall… The problem is they only have one slot – maybe two if they’re lucky – on their slate for a slightly-less-commercial choice. The rest is taken up by their superhero movie, their big on-the-lot producer’s movie, their animated franchise, their attempt at a new superhero movie, their attempt at a new animated franchise, their big comedy, their star vehicle, their big popular book series adaptation…
Speaking of dewy-eyed, can we not wax all effusive on the cornball antics of Charlton Heston in the original? Been there, seen that, and aside from a few interesting references to the Statue of Liberty, it was melodramatic drek. ROTPOTA on the other hand was a brilliant little piece of film. Serkis is single-handedly rewriting the book on what constitutes acting and the script was rich, intelligent and convincing. Anyone who messes with the formula that brought that to life risks falling into the sinkhole that this franchise left behind years ago. Too bad!