Project Almanac had a bit of a rough run at the box office, but that isn’t stopping director Dean Israelite from moving on to bigger gigs because TheWrap is reporting that he’s currently in negotiations to direct the Power Rangers movie for Lionsgate and Saban Films. Apparently Israelite had the opportunity to direct a number of different tentpole films, but he passed on all of them hoping that “the right one” would come his way.

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Image via Paramount Pictures

Few enjoyed Project Almanac as much as I did, but whether you were into Israelite’s feature debut or not, I do think Israelite’s incredible attention to detail will serve the Power Rangers movie well. Apparently Israelite is a big fan of the franchise and is hoping to “bring a fresh voice to the property,” and if he puts half as much effort into developing the Power Ranger lore, technology and abilities as he did the Project Almanac time machine, there’s no doubt he’ll add interesting layers to the mythology.

Should Israelite’s deal go through, he’ll be working with a script from X-Men: First Class scribes Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz. Producer Roberto Orci insisted that the film isn’t a “leave it behind reboot” and will respect what went down in the TV series, but other than that, we know absolutely nothing about the story. The film is due in theaters on July 22, 2016, so I imagine the casting rumor mill will start churning immediately after Israelite makes it official.

For what it’s worth, here’s the official synopsis Lionsgate release in August 2014:

From a story by Executive Producer Roberto Orci (TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2) and screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, THOR) comes a modern reinvention of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of ordinary high school kids who find themselves infused with extraterrestrial powers and must harness those powers as a team to save the world.