‘Contagion’ Writer to Script ‘Apes’ Sequel
The follow-up to last year’s most pleasant surprise has a new writer attached, as Scott Z. Burns has been hired to write the sequel to Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.Fox hired director Rupert Wyatt to return for part 2, as well as motion-capture specialist Andy Serkis, who provided the physical blueprint for the film’s CG protagonist, Caesar the ape.The story looks to be picking up shortly after the ending of “Rise,” which saw the exodus of a city’s worth of hyper-intelligent apes from San Francisco, while also laying out the initial stages of a viral outbreak destined to wipe out most of humanity.Fox studio CEO Tom Rothman has stated that the hope is to have the simian sequel in theatres for summer 2014.
