The sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes now has an official name and release date. Titled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the film will be released on May 23rd, 2014. The only other movie currently scheduled for that weekend is Sony's animated film Pixels and Marvel has tentatively scheduled an unannounced film to open the week before. With this date being so far away, though, don't be surprised if the release dates shift around a bit.

Both Andy Serkis and director Rupert Wyatt have already signed on for the project, with Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Bourne Ultimatum) writing the new screenplay which will continue the story from the previous film:

"The project continues the story set forth in last year’s critical and commercial hit movie featuring simians that are given human intelligence and subsequently break out of their facility. At the same time, a virus breaks out that causes the collapse of human society.

The new project is taking the story to the next level, with the apes on the path to emerge as society’s new rulers."

Fox also announced release dates for a number of genre films, including a 3D re-release of Independence Day on July 3rd, 2013 and a sequel to X-Men First Class on July 18th, 2014. Steven Spielberg's Robopocalypse has also been moved out of its original 2013 release date to April 25th, 2014.

  • Jonathan James
    About the Author - Jonathan James

    After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.

    As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.