Robert Zemeckis, the Oscar winning director of Forrest Gump and Flight, is reportedly in talks to direct Chaos Walking for Lionsgate.
Chaos Walking will be the potential first film in a series based on Patrick Ness’ young adult sci-fi novels. The trilogy is set in a dystopian future where humans have colonized a nearby planed and thoughts can be heard thanks to an infection called the Noise. Privacy is gone and an autocrat has taken over. This leads to a war between humans and aliens.
TheWrap first reported that Zemeckis was in talks to make the film, which will be written by Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Doug Davison of Quadrant Pictures is producing with Alli Shearmur.
Variety reports that Zemeckis has been easing back into the world of live action filmmaking since Disney shuttered the Imagemovers studio. In 2012, the Back to the Future director made a triumphant return with Flight, which was made with a modest budget and earned Denzel Washington an Oscar nomination. He won his Oscar for directing Forrest Gump.
Chaos Walking could be the next successful YA franchise for Lionsgate. The studio has to be thinking of the future, since The Hunger Games ends in 2015 and its Summit Entertainment has already seen the end of Twilight. The studio is also working on the Divergent franchise.
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