Well that was fast. Just a couple of weeks ago rumors swirled that Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt was leaving the film’s sequel due to concerns that he couldn’t meet the 2014 release date for the follow-up. Last week a shortlist of directors emerged that 20th Century Fox was apparently looking at to replace Wyatt, but Let Me In helmer Matt Reeves was listed as the frontrunner. Lo and behold, Reeves has officially landed the gig and will now steer Dawn of the Planet of the Apes towards its May 23rd, 2014 release date. Hit the jump for more details.

We learned last week that Reeves was no longer attached to direct Warner Bros.’ feature film iteration of The Twilight Zone on the heels of the news that he had signed a deal to return to television, and I noted at the time that I’d love to see him direct another feature before he develops a new TV series. Now Deadline reports that Reeves has landed the Apes job, which is very welcome news indeed.

Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes surprised a lot of people, as the film turned out to be a thoughtful, thrilling, and emotional prequel to the classic Planet of the Apes films. The ending of the film opened up a number of exciting possibilities for a few follow-up films, and Rise screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have apparently turned in a much-liked script for Dawn. We know that Andy Serkis—the heart and soul of the first film—is returning, and I think the project is in swell hands with Reeves. The pic should be an excellent use of his filmmaking talents, I can’t wait to see what he puts together.