"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is about to rise a little higher.
Fox plans a sequel and has made a deal with Andy Serkis to star, TheWrap has confirmed.
Director Rupert Wyatt also is on board, along with writer-producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
Jaffa and Silver told TheWrap in August that from the time they wrote "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," they knew what they wanted to put in a sequel. And, for that matter, in a third movie.
Fox has a deal with the writers for a second script, although it's not yet written.
Also read: 'Planet of the Apes' Team Ready for a Sequel … or Two
Last summer's "Rise" — a prequel to the 1968 Charlton Heston-Roddy McDowell film — grossed $453 million worldwide.
"Rise" is about a genetically enhanced chimpanzee that uses his superior intelligence to lead other apes to freedom.
On Wednesday, Fox parent company News Corp. specifically highlighted the film's performance (not that there are too many highlights to choose from for the embattled media conglomerate).
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" starred James Franco, John Lithgow and Freida Pinto. Serkis was singled out for especially good reviews for his motion-capture animated work. He played the role of Caesar (above).
Fox hasn't set a release date for the next movie.