Planet Of The Apes Prequel: It's Real, And It's Coming In 2011

Sorry everyone, but it's time to finally acknowledge that the Planet of the Apes prequel is real, it's happening, and it's probably going to be terrible. Variety reports that Twentieth Century Fox has set a release date of June 24, 2011 for the film, now titled Rise of the Apes, which will be directed by Rupert Wyatt. Weta Digital is also on board to provide visual effects, which means that for the first time ever, the apes are going to be all CGI.

We've gone over and over all the reasons no one wants a Planet of the Apes reboot, so let's just look at what the release date means instead. Summer 2011 has gotten very crowded very suddenly lately, with X-Men: First Class recently set for a June 3, 2011 release and the current word on J.J. Abrams' Super 8 project that it's coming sometime in the summer of 2011. That's all on top of the films we already knew were coming, from the superhero onslaught of Thor, Captain America and Green Lantern to Transformers 3, which is happening whether you like it or not.