Despite the fact that precisely noone was crying out for another Apes film, Fox were determined to resuscitate the brand, and in June they announced that the prequel was back up and running. Newly dubbed Rise Of The Apes, the film was given an official release date of June 24th 2011, leaving just over a year to get it made!

So who was to be charged with bringing it all together? None other than British director Rupert Wyatt, the man behind low-key jailbreak drama The Escapist. Not exactly the obvious choice for a Hollywood blockbuster then, but a good fit for the less hysterical tone that Fox are seemingly aiming for.

Meanwhile, Street Kings writer Jamie Moss was hired to give Scott Frank’s script a fairly vigorous rewrite, before Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (best known for their work on The Hand That Rocks The Cradle) gave it a further polish.

It’s a story that’s had a fair bit of tinkering then, but what’s it all about…