Development continues on the Fox lot for another film in the “Planet of the Apes” series. The studio held fast to their desire to let the franchise cool after the 2001 relaunch won the series few new fans, so this latest attempt is a gamble that the audience is willing to sweep Tim Burton’s possible worst movie ever under the rug. There’s been a slight regime change at Fox, giving the project, originally “codenamed” (whatever) “Caesar,” another life, but the main creative force behind this enterprise, screenwriter Scott Frank (“Out of Sight”) appears to be out of the picture, with Jamie Moss (“Street Kings”) brought in to rework the concept and the team of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (“The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”) on board to polish dialogue.
However, you bet your ass other filmmakers haven’t forgotten the stinkhole that Burton’s version was. The reboot as a viable Hollywood concept is still in its early stages, and as such people generally don’t trust them, as they are usually engineered to be a more profitable/cheaper attempt to create a new franchise. Instead of cutting back on set pieces and special effects, of course, the money is cut off at the story and creative level, meaning Ang Lee doesn’t get invited back to the “Hulk” party because his vision is too unusual, and not of course because Louis Leterrier is a helluva lot cheaper and more available *wink*. As such, Vulture claims that such notable figures as Oscar nominee Kathryn Bigelow, walking film dispenser Robert Rodriguez and hot new helmer Tomas Alfredson (“Let The Right One In”) have all turned down the project. This is also a Fox-produced blockbuster, so we’ll take a stab at guessing that not only were they all lowballed, but the script sucked a cheetah’s dick.
Vulture goes on to name-drop a few other people who have the script, though their names getting out means they have to be aware they’re receiving sloppy seconds, which doesn’t bode well for any of them accepting. Their candidates include:
Albert and Allen Hughes – The duo used to be a vital filmmaking team, but their recent effort “Book of Eli” strongly suggested they only returned from exile to score a quick paycheck. If this script is less fantastical as rumors have suggested, their take could be one of the better ones.
Pierre Morel – He’s also attached to “Dune,” but after this weekend’s showing for “From Paris With Love” we’ll guess he’ll be out of that director’s chair quickly. Could Fox snap him up quickly, quietly and cheaply for this film? Yes. Would it be a step in the right direction? Hah.
James McTeigue – Ok, now they’re just checking to see who’s available. McTeigue has the stench of yesterday’s news after “Ninja Assassin” bellyflopped, which means he’ll be affordable, and Fox’s best hope is really getting some of that Wachowski fake-smart sci-fi franchise-starting power out of the “V For Vendetta” director. McTeigue getting this gig would stink of desperation for both sides.
Dennis Illiadis – The director of the “Last House On The Left” remake. So yeah, affordable.
Scott Stewart – Director of “Legion.” Just picking names out of a hat, aren’t we?
If this really is a more intellectual take on the story, reportedly centered on a modern day ape rebellion led by a verbose simian cult leader, we’d love to see Fox pull the seriously affordable Shane Carruth (“Primer”) out of exile. But they’re not going to, are they?