It’s no surprise with the success of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ that the sequel would be on the fast track. Fox made sure the breakout star of the original, Andy Serkis, would return by offering him a 7 figure deal and with Rupert Wyatt already under contract to direct all that is needed is the script. Well, that obstacle has now been taken care of as THR has announced that Scott Z. Burns will be on board to pen the sequel.
Burns gained fame as the scribe of the germaphobic film ‘Contagion.’ He also wrote the screenplay to ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ and ‘The Bitter Pill’ which is currently under production. He will be working off a draft of a script that was written by Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa, the writers of the first film.
How much of a change Burns will be making is unknown but what is known is that the sequel will focus on the apes’ path to emerge as society’s new rulers and the virus that is destroying human society. This plot is something right up Burns’ alley and the news that he is on board ups the success factor for the sequel.
Fox seems very committed to the project and promises to “up the game” of the franchise with this sequel. With the movie set for a 2014 release, it won’t be long before we find out how true these words are. Now we just need to find out if the apes will talk in this sequel!
