It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard anything about the sci-fi thriller Alien Sleeper Cell, almost four years in fact, but it looks as though things are finally moving along again because it’s being reported that James McTeigue just signed on to direct the film.
We’re still without concrete story details, but back when reports first surfaced, Alien Sleeper Cell was described as “a fresh and surprising take on the all-too-familiar alien invasion genre that features the tense tone of The Bourne Identity.” Hit the jump for more on Alien Sleeper Cell.
According to the THR description, Alien Sleeper Cell has elements that “harken to Bourne Identity and TV’s The Americans but applied to an alien invasion scenario.” The script comes from Morgan Davis Foehl who’s been getting attention for Michael Mann’s Blackhat, a cybercrime film starring Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis. (We actually caught the Blackhat panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Click here if you'd like to check out Matt's recap.) In the past few years, Foehl also sold a pitch called The Asset to 20th Century Fox and was brought in to do his own Mass Effect script as well.
In addition to Foehl and McTeigue, we’ve also got Felipe Linz, the man who came up with the Alien Sleeper Cell concept, on board to executive produce. Adrian Askarieh’s Prime Universe Films is also involved as is Joe Gatta and Joni Sighvatsson’s new company, ScanBox Studios, which has put together some international financing deals for the film.
After working alongside the Wachowskis on The Matrix movies, McTeigue got the opportunity to make his directorial debut with V for Vendetta. He slipped a little bit with his next two films, Ninja Assassin and The Raven, but he’s got Survivor with Pierce Brosnan, Milla Jovovich, Emma Thompson, Angela Bassett and Dylan McDermott on the way, so perhaps he’ll get back on top even before jumping into this one.