Director Matt Shakman is bouncing from Marvel’s sacred timeline to “The Planet of the Apes,” as the director will shepherd a new film in the sci-fi franchise for 20th Century Studios.
Shakman helmed last year’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” for Disney’s superhero label, and has now been entrusted along with screenwriter Josh Friedman to revisit the successful world of talking primates who rise up against a cruel humanity.
Friedman wrote the screenplays for both “First Steps” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the latter being the last film in a series mounted by 20th. That title grossed almost $400 million worldwide on a budget of $160 million. Shakman will produce this new entry, plot details of which were not disclosed, alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Scott Aversano is overseeing for the studio. Over 15 years, four films in the modern “Apes” franchise have grossed over $2 billion at the global box office.
Shakman also directed Marvel’s successful first foray into streaming series, “WandaVision.” His credits include helming pilots for “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” “The Consultant” and “Welcome to Chippendales.” Shakman also directed the pilot episode of “The Great” starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. Other notable work includes “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Succession” and “Game of Thrones.” He also handled the pilot and final episode of the upcoming Siegfried & Roy series “Wild Things,” starring Jude Law and Andrew Garfield. Shakman is represented by Untitled Entertainment and CAA.
Friedman is a company man at 20th, having also penned scripts for “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” He is repped by UTA. Deadline first reported the news of the “Apes” reboot.
