Fox has announced the release date for their new Planet of the Apes prebootquel, currently called Rise of the Apes, as June 24, 2011. Rupert Wyatt, who had been rumored to be helming, is in fact directing.
The biggest bit of news here, though, is the fact that WETA is coming on board to do all of the ape FX. There will be no people in suits this time, and the FX house will be bringing to life supposedly photoreal apes. I’m torn on this – on the one hand using the latest tech makes sense, and since all but one of the apes in this movie are normal, everyday apes, putting people in suits would be weird. But on the other hand the Planet of the Apes series, including Tim Burton’s disaster, has some of the most seminal make-up FX in film history. It’s sad to see the franchise slip away from its roots in practical effects.
We previously reported on the main story of the film and the nods the script makes to the original Planet of the Apes; you can read that right here.