danny-boyle-michael-b-jordan-methuselah

Danny Boyle sure does love playing with the concept of time. The man went from 28 Days Later to 127 Hours to Yesterday, and now the Oscar-winning filmmaker has signed on to direct the Michael B. Jordan movie Methuselah for Warner Bros.

The project has been in development for several years and was initially envisioned as a starring vehicle for Tom Cruise, who would've played the Biblical figure who supposedly lived to be 969 years old thanks to survival skills that have kept him a step ahead of everyone else. Variety reports that the concept has changed, however, and the creative team is taking a new approach, as the studio hopes Methuselah will spark a new franchise with its popular Creed star Jordan.

Boyle is expected to bring in his frequent collaborator Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar-winning writer of Slumdog Millionaire, to rewrite the script and tailor the material to Boyle and Jordan's shared vision. After all, Jordan is also producing Methuselah via his Outlier Society banner along with Alana Mayo, as well as Boyle and Heyday’s David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford.

danny-boyle-michael-b-jordan-methuselah
Image via Fox Searchlight

Jon Watts was in talks to direct Methuselah a year ago, but he has his hands full with Tom Holland's third Spider-Man movie, which Sony is eager to begin filming once production is able to begin. Tony Gilroy wrote the latest draft of the screenplay, which was based on a treatment by James Watkins.

It's unclear when Jordan will fit Methuselah into his busy schedule, as he's set to star in David O. Russell's next film with Christian Bale and Margot Robbie, as well as Denzel Washington's drama Journal for Jordan. The Black Panther star has already wrapped Without Remorse, which is slated to hit theaters on Oct. 2.

Boyle is coming off the surprise success of Universal's musical drama Yesterday, which grossed $153 million worldwide on a $26 million budget. He nearly directed the upcoming James Bond movie No Time to Die, but exited the project due to creative differences with the producers. In my opinion, Boyle is a fantastic director, and love to revisit his work, from Trainspotting to 28 Days Later to Slumdog Millionaire. In fact, I rewatched his little-seen first film, Shallow Grave, earlier this week, and it still holds up, so track that one down if you've never seen it. Variety broke the news of his hiring on Methuselah, though if it does become a franchise, it'll be at odds with Boyle's recent statements about turning his back on franchises forever following the Bond debacle. Click here for the director's complicated thoughts on the matter.