Matt Reeves Tapped as New Director for 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'

Photo credit: Ivan Nikolov/WENN

20th Century Fox's hunt to find a perfect director for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" has come to an end. The studio has finally decided to hire Matt Reeves as the new helmer for the sequel to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", Deadline reports.

Reeves, who also directed J.J. Abrams-produced "Cloverfield", had previously been rumored to be Fox's top choice to replace Rupert Wyatt as the director of its high-profile project. Other names who were reportedly also eyed for the gig included Guillermo del Toro, J. Blakeson, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Jeff Nichols and Juan Antonio Bayona.

Fox was forced to search for a new helmer for the "Apes" sequel after Wyatt abruptly bowed out of the project in mid September. He reportedly didn't "feel comfortable" with the studio's decision to release the sequel on May 23, 2014.

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" has tapped Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Scott. Z. Burns to rewite the screenplay that follows the story where Caesar and the other apes take over the world. Andy Serkis is set to bring the mischievous ape back to life once again.

As for Reeves, the New York-born filmmaker's other projects include Summit Entertainment's thriller "This Dark Endeavor", Fox 2000's Ridley Scott-produced "The Passage (2012)", and Universal Pictures' sci-fier "Eight O'Clock in the Morning". He was also attached to Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Twilight Zone", but has reportedly dropped out of the project.