Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel hires a new writer

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Having worked on hit films like CONTAGION and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, as well as Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming psychological thriller THE BITTER PILL, Scott Z. Burns is one of the most in-demand scribes in the business. Now he’s going to be putting his imagination to work on one of Hollywood’s more anticipated sequels.

Burns has just been hired to pen the follow-up to last summer hit, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. The writer seems like a natural choice; the guy who whipped up CONTAGION should be a perfect fit to continue where we left off in the updated saga, as a lethal virus spreads across the globe and cripples humanity, leading to, well, a rise of the apes.

Andy Serkis, who brought Caesar to life in the first film, is returning for the sequel, as is director Rupert Wyatt. Original writers Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa also worked on a draft for the new film, but evidently 20th Century Fox wants it toiled over by new blood.

RISE star Freida Pinto