According to Variety, superstar filmmaker Michael Bay (Bad Boys, Transformers franchise) has set his sights on his next two directing assignments: A big screen version of Daniel H. Wilson’s 2011 science fiction novel Robopocalypse, and a mysterious action project titled 6 Underground.
On Robopocalypse, Bay will be following in the footsteps of his Transformers producer Steven Spielberg, who attempted to mount the film as his own directorial effort in 2013 with a cast that included Anne Hathaway, Chris Hemsworth and Ben Whishaw. Spielberg put the project on indefinite hold shortly before production, citing script and cost issues. Drew Goddard had penned the previous draft, though the article doesn’t note if they will be working from the material he developed with Spielberg for a year or are starting from scratch. Spielberg will serve as a producer on the project.
The book, released in 2011, is officially described as follows: Not far into our future, the dazzling technology that runs our world turns against us. Controlled by a childlikeyet massively powerfulartificial intelligence known as Archos, the global network of machines on which our world has grown dependent suddenly becomes an implacable, deadly foe. At Zero Hourthe moment the robots attackthe human race is almost annihilated, but as its scattered remnants regroup, humanity for the first time unites in a determined effort to fight back. This is the oral history of that conflict, told by an international cast of survivors who experienced this long and bloody confrontation with the machines.
6 Underground was written as an action spec script by the screenwriting team of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese (Deadpool 1 & 2, Zombieland), and is based on an original idea whose logline is being kept under wraps for now. The plan is for 6 Underground to go into production this summer for a summer 2019 release. Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce alongside Bay, with Reese and Wernick serving as executive producers. The writing pair worked with Skydance on last year’s sci-fi effort Life.
“Throughout his career Michael Bay has been unparalleled in creating global theatrical events,” said David Ellison, Chief Executive Office of Skydance Media. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have this amazing team come together, bringing their unique style and vision to the movie.”
Are you excited to see Michael Bay go back to the mechanical world with Robopocalypse? Let us know in the comments below!
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