With Kon-Tiki helmers Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg once again taking to the high seas for Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean 5, Legendary’s supernatural thriller Spectral is left without a captain of the ship.  The studio has turned to commercials helmer and up-and-coming feature director Nic Mathieu to take the post.  The picture is described as a “supernatural Black Hawk Down” but further plot details are being kept under wraps.  We previously reported it as being a darker version of Ghostbusters with a more serious tone, featuring a contemporary, militaristic approach to fighting supernatural creatures; when evil ghosts take over Manhattan, a special ops group is brought in to take them down. As Variety confirms, Mathieu is also attached to direct Story of Your Life and Warner Bros.’ Robotech adaptation.

With Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim opening the floodgates for mecha adaptations, it was only a matter of time before Robotech found a home.  The animated Japanese series has been in development since 2007, but is now reportedly set up at Warner Bros. with commercials director Nic Mathieu in negotiations to helm.  Numerous screenwriters have been involved with the project before, but this is the first time a director is in talks with the studio.  Producers embarked on a search for a director who could bring the 80s series into modern times.  Needless to say, this is a big win for Mathieu and big news for Robotech fans.  Hit the jump for more.

The very busy Shawn Levy is adding another project to his development docket, though this time it’s only in a producing capacity.  FilmNation Entertainment announced today that it would finance and produce the sci-fi thriller Story of Your Life alongside Lava Bear Films, with Levy producing the pic via his 21 Laps banner with partner Dan Levine.  Written by Eric Heisserer (The Thing), the film is based on a short story by Ted Chiang that takes place immediately after aliens land around the globe and centers on a linguist who is recruited by the US government in a race to decipher their intentions on Earth.

Commercials director Nic Mathieu is set to direct, and the pic is being fast-tracked with casting beginning immediately for a planned 2013 production start-date.  Levy most recently wrapped his latest directorial project, the Owen Wilson/Vince Vaughn comedy The Internship, and earlier this month signed on to helm the ensemble dramedy adaptation This Is Where I Leave You.  Hit the jump to read the full press release concerning Story of Your Life.

With Men in Black 3 opening in theaters this weekend, screenwriter David Koepp can set his sights on other pursuits.  It’s being reported that one of those pursuits is the top-secret, sci-fi film The Wind, which Koepp wrote and will produce.  The plot details are locked down at the moment, but Wind is known to take place in a space colony.  The studio has taken a somewhat uncharacteristic route in tapping commercials helmer, Nic Mathieu, to make his directorial debut on The Wind.  Mathieu’s track record in the industry boasts a long line of execs that were impressed with his work, notably his reported mastery over CG.  Hit the jump to see what else is on Koepp’s plate and for some examples of Mathieu’s work.