It sure is a great day to be a robot and/or Dan Wilson. Hot off the heels of news that author Dan Wilson’s book Robopocalypse is going to be Steven Spielberg’s next directorial effort, another Wilson book is also getting the big screen treatment.  io9 reports that the film rights to How to Survive a Robot Uprising have been picked up by Jack Black and writer/director Steve Pink (co-writer of High Fidelity, director of Hot Tub Time Machine).  The book is a humorous survival guide about what to do in the (increasingly highly likely) event of a robot rebellion.

The project was previously being written by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911!) back in 2005, with Mike Myers eying the starring role. However, it appears that the project lay stagnant for too long as Pink and Black quickly grabbed the rights as soon as they became available.  It’s unclear whether Black will star in the flick, or even if Pink will end up directing it.  Currently, Pink is working on the script and it’s assumed that no decisions will be made until he finishes.  Hit the jump for a description of the book by the author, as well as a bit more on the project.

Given that the book has no linear plot or actual story arc, Pink has a bit of work to do.  However, this shouldn’t be a problem when paired up with Black.  They seem to be the perfect team to tackle this type of tongue-in-cheek material. Pink’s scripts for Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity are damn near perfect, and this is the kind of thing that Black could knock out of the park (need I direct you to Tenacious D’s conversation on whether or not there are, in fact, robots living among us?  Okay fine, I will below). Needless to say, this project just garnered a prime spot on my imaginary “most anticipated” list.  Here’s a description of the book straight from the author himself:

If popular culture has taught us anything, it is that someday mankind must face and destroy the growing robot menace. In print and on the big screen we have been deluged with scenarios of robot malfunction, misuse, and outright rebellion. Robots have descended on us from outer space, escaped from top-secret laboratories, and even traveled back in time to destroy us. Today, scientists are working hard to bring these artificial creations to life. In Japan, fuzzy little real robots are delivering much appreciated hug therapy to the elderly. Children are frolicking with smiling robot toys. It all seems so innocuous. And yet how could so many Hollywood scripts be wrong? So take no chances. Arm yourself with expert knowledge. For the sake of humanity, listen to serious advice from real robotics experts. How else will you survive the inevitable future in which robots rebel against their human masters?

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