Though author Daniel H. Wilson’s novel Robopocalypse came super close to being a Steven Spielberg movie (which he may or may not still make), another idea of his is now poised to come to the big screen via Brad PittTHR reports that Lionsgate has picked up the sci-fi thriller Alpha, based on an original idea by Wilson, with Pitt set to produce alongside his Plan B partners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.  Plot details are under wraps, but the film is a sci-fi survival story “that has shades” of White Fang author Jack London.  Wilson will write the screenplay based on his own idea, and newcomer Anthony Scott Burns is set to make his feature directorial debut with the project.  Burns’ pitch for the film apparently involved a fake commercial for a fictional company that is central to the story.  More after the jump.

Pitt’s Plan B company has done a swell job of mixing up its output between commercial fare and more difficult material, as they produced the zombie pic World War Z as well as last year’s 12 Years a Slave, which netted Pitt his first Oscar for Best Picture.  Plan B has another genre property in development called Wytches, and is also behind the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. film Selma, which is riding high on Oscar buzz from its first screenings.  As of now, Pitt has no plans to star in Alpha.

In addition to Robopocalypse, Wilson is also the author behind How to Survive a Robot Uprising and Robogenesis.  As for Burns, he first came to prominence for directing a fan trailer for Tron, followed up by the short film Manifold, which you can watch below.

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Image via Paramount Pictures