Rupert Wyatt may have found his leading simian!
Word from Deadline today has it that James Franco (seen right) is currently in negotiations to star in RISE OF THE APES, 20th Century Fox’s prequel to Tim Burton’s PLANET OF THE APES. Rupert Wyatt will direct in time for a June 24th, 2011 release window.
For those who missed the amended rundown from earlier this month, RISE OF THE APES is an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
Sounds cool to me, though I’m not the world’s largest POA fan. I do dig the location of my home city (S.F., yo!), and the angle with faulty genetic engineering is still a pretty relevant topic, so this could have a grittier, more realistic feel to it. At least, I’m hoping it does!
We’ve also known for some time now that Peter Jackson’s digital FX team WETA has come on board to shape a new generation of talking apes. Wonder how long Jimmy Franco will have to sit in the makeup chair to achieve his desired appearance.
Let it fly y’all. You like Franco in the lead of RISE OF THE APES? Is it beneath him at this point in his career? Who would you like to see him teamed with onscreen for this project?
Give us your guts!
Franco stars with the gorgeous Natalie Portman in next year’s YOUR HIGHNESS!
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