A rather highly anticipated Young Adult feature film adaptation is undergoing a director change.  Last September we reported that David Slade (30 Days of Night, Twilight: Eclipse) had been set to direct Disney’s adaptation of Ally Condie’s futuristic novel Matched, but now it appears that Slade is out and G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu is in.  The book is the first in a trilogy that centers on a young girl living in a highly-controlling society (ie. people are told what to read, watch, believe, etc.) who makes a rebellious decision to reject an arranged romance and follow her own heart.  Hit the jump for more details.

Per Heat Vision, Chu is currently in negotiations to take the helm of the Disney project as his next film.  The pic already has a script by Michelle and Kieran Mulroney (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), and Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot are onboard to produce.  This marks a major get for Chu, who previously directed the choreography-heavy Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D, and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never before landing the G.I. Joe sequel gig.  Though the action film was famously pushed back considerably for a 3D conversion, it still looks to be a really fun ride and I’m curious to see how Chu will fare in the YA world.  The filmmaker is also attached to a Masters of the Universe remake, but it appears that Matched is now his priority.

Matched is just one of many YA adaptations currently in the works following the Twilight and Hunger Games boom, as production is gearing up to begin on the post-apocalyptic Divergent with Shailene Woodley in the lead role.  I’ve heard very good things about both Divergent and Matched, so here’s hoping we’re in for some strong female-led features in the near future. Read the full synopsis for Condie’s Matched below:

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander’s face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham’s face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it’s a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she’s destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can’t stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. [Amazon]