The surprise hit of the summer, Fox is pressing ahead with a follow-up to Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes...
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was surprised at just how good Rise of the Planet of the Apes turned out to be. Sure, the trailers looked decent enough, but how many of us expected it to be one of the best blockbusters of the year?
And as well as earning significant critical praise, the film was also a considerable box office success, earning in excess of $450m worldwide.
When films do those kinds of numbers, sequels are usually on the cards, and 20th Century Fox has started their preparations by signing the film’s star to a lucrative contract. We're talking Andy Serkis here, who has been made an offer to reprise his role as Caesar.
In addition to the studio recognising his efforts financially, it has confirmed that it will wage an Oscar campaign for Serkis. Presumably this will be in the Best Supporting Actor category rather than Best Actor, but only time will tell. Sounds like a bit of a long shot, really, but the very of luck to them.
In addition to Serkis being confirmed for the sequel, director Rupert Wyatt’s deal came with a sequel option, as did the deals the screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. So there’ll be some continuity behind the scenes.
With the story reportedly still in the ideas stage at this point, it’s unclear as to whether James Franco or Freida Pinto will be required to return.
More news on the Apes sequel when we get it.
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.