Matt Reeves and Gary Whitta Are Bringing ‘Mouse Guard’ to the Big Screen

We have good news for fans of Matt Reeves, Gary Whitta, Mouse Guard or all of the above: The War For the Planet of the Apes director is teaming up with the former screenwriter of Rogue One to bring the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series to the big screen. Sadly, Reeves won’t be directing the project himself, but given his experience working with mo-cap on the Apes films, he’ll make for one heck of a producer.

THR reports that Whitta will write the screenplay based on David Petersen’s acclaimed graphic novel series, which centers on an order of sentient mice who have taken an oath to serve and protect the civilians of their world during the medieval era. Their world is a mirror of our own during the same time period, though there are no human characters in the story.

Reeves will produce the Mouse Guard adaptation alongside original publisher Boom Studios for 20th Century Fox. Like his Apes movies and Disney’s recent reimagining of The Jungle Book, the Mouse Guard adaptation will use a blend of live-action with advanced CGI and mo-cap performances — something with which Reeves has quite a bit of experience, which should make his contributions to the project invaluable…even though he’s not directing it, sadly.

Whitta is best known for writing The Book of Eli, and most recently worked on the first draft of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (he was later replaced by Chris Weitz). Reeves is currently in post-production on War For the Planet of the Apes, his follow-up to 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The new sequel is set to hit theaters next year.