Is Rupert Wyatt stepping down from 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'?

We're still nearly two years away from the release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and already it looks like Fox may be in search of a new director. Already dealing with some major changes with longtime head honcho Tom Rothman announcing his exit from the studio, now Deadline is reporting that director Rupert Wyatt may be leaving the sequel to last year's hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes. So what gives?

Well, it sounds like a similar scenario to what Gary Ross went through with Catching Fire is playing out yet again. If you'll recall, one of the many reasons Ross dropped out was that he was feeling limited by Lionsgate's time constraints after The Hunger Games. It turns out that Wyatt, who I think was a key factor in Rise of the Planet of the Apes' success, was feeling pressured by the May 2014 release date. Fox has been full speed ahead on the sequel for awhile now, bringing back Andy Serkis for a multi-film deal that would have him reprise his role as Caesar. Scott Z. Burns was hired to pen the initial script draft, with original scribes Amanda Silver and Rick Joffa brought on later. Fox  reportedly digs the direction the story is headed, so it's odd to hear that Wyatt may be leaving. Fox refuses to comment, so I'm thinking there's more to this story than meets the eye.

If nothing can be worked out, Wyatt's got other options on the table. He's set up to direct Charlize Theron in the sci-fi thriller, Agent 13.  It's also possible that Wyatt could find time in his schedule to direct Londongrad, the biopic which follows Russian journalist and whistleblower, Alexander Litvinenko. We'll see what happens, but for now Wyatt is still on board to bring Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to theaters on May 23rd 2014.