According to Chud.com, the film will boast the standard bleak ending (for humanity at least) beloved of the Apes films. What that might turn out to be is unspecified, but apparently it leaves plenty of scope for a sequel.

Now, the same could arguably be said of Tim Burton’s effort, although the logic there was sketchy at best, and no sequel was forthcoming there. However, would Fox be likely to go to such pains to resurrect the franchise, only to knock it on the head again after one more addition?

The likelihood is that if Rise Of The Apes is any sort of a success, it will pave the way for a whole new set of films, either running in parallel to the originals, or as a prequel saga a la Star Wars.

Like it or not, Fox have got a potential moneyspinner on their hands, but with a talented director in Wyatt, and an excellent cast in place, that may not be such a bad thing…