EXCLUSIVE: Screen Gems is looking to reunite with its Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City helmer Johannes Roberts, as sources tell Deadline the studio has set him to direct Atomic Monster’s Border Patrol. James Wan & Michael Clear are producing, with Judson Scott executive producing for Wan’s Atomic Monster. Starlight Media’s Peter Luo and Nancy Xu are executive producing.
The studio acquired the spec script written by Noah Griffith and Daniel Stewart. It is being rewritten by Gregg Hurwitz and Philip Eisner. Plot details are being kept under wraps as the film is still in development.
Roberts has been a director on the rise since breaking out with his shark thriller 47 Meters Down, which overperformed at the box office on a low budget and put Roberts on the map. His work on that helped him land the rebooted Resident Evil pic, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Screen Gems enjoyed its time with Roberts and when word hit market of the package, they moved fast to land the rights. He also most recently directed a segment on V/H/S/99.
Griffith and Stewart’s credits include the Netflix series Sweet Tooth, based on the comic book of the same name; Swamp Thing, based on the DC comic series of the same name; and The Mist, based on Stephen King’s short story.
Hurwitz is a bestselling author of 24 thrillers, including the Orphan X series. His screenwriter credits include Sweet Girl with Philip Eisner, The Book Of Henry, and series V (2010-2011). Paramount Players optioned eight books from Hurwitz’s “Marked Man” series, which he will co-produce with Emmy-winning producer Scott Frank.
Upcoming pics for Atomic Monster include M3gan, starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw and Ronny Chieng; Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom; and Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, starring Lewis Pullman, Alfre Woodard, and Bill Camp.
Wan is represented by CAA, Stacey Testro International and Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP. Roberts is repped by CAA, Jeremy Bell at The Gotham Group, and Peter Nichols and David Jalenko at Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler. Griffith and Stewart are repped by CAA, The Gotham Group, and Darren Trattner at Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. Eisner is represented by Jennifer Levine at Untitled Entertainment and Craig Emanuel at Paul Hastings. Hurwitz is represented by Angela Cheng Caplan at Cheng Caplan Company and Stephen Breimer at Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver & Thompson.
