Planet of the Apes (2001 film) billed as "episode one in the Chronicles of Aschlar", Broyles' script caught the attention of director Tim Burton, who was hired in February 2000. "I wasn't interested in doing a remake or a sequel of the original "Planet of the Apes" film," Burton said later. "But I was intrigued by the idea of revisiting that world. Like a lot of people, I was affected by the original film. I wanted to do a 're-imagining'." Richard D. Zanuck signed on as producer in March. "This is a very emotional film for me. I greenlighted the original "Apes" when I was the
Planet of the Apes (2001 film) in the series, "Planet of the Apes" (1968) and "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970) as George Taylor and Nova, respectively. 20th Century Fox president Craig Baumgarten was impressed with Adam Rifkin's filmmaking with "Never on Tuesday". In 1988, Rifkin was brought in the studio to pitch ideas for films. Rifkin, being a fan of the 1968 "Planet of the Apes" felt it was best to continue the film series. "Having independent film experience, I promised I could write and direct a huge-looking film for a reasonable price and budget, like "Aliens"." Fox commissioned Rifkin to write what amounted