Coming off the critical and commercial success of The Martian, Ridley Scott is keeping himself busy with an ever-growing slate of films. The latest to join the pile is yet another historical passion project for the director, a film based on the Battle of Britain; the air campaign waged in the skies over the United Kingdom that was a definitive turning point in World War II.

The project is in very early stages, so there is no script yet, but up-and-coming writer Matthew Orton has been recruited to pen the screenplay. Orton also recently wrote the WWII drama Operation Finale (previously known as Eichmann), which is set to star Oscar Issac. Matt Charman, who wrote Steven Spielberg's Cold War espionage drama Bridge of Spies, will executive produce.

Deadline broke the news of the project, noting that while Fox bought the pitch last year, it's early days yet. However, it's a passion project for the filmmaker who has been eager to make a film about "Britain's finest hour" for some time.

That said, the film will have some competition for Scott's attention. His Prometheus follow-up Alien: Covenant lands in theaters this summer, and it's the kind of major studio release that demands a hell of a press tour. After that, Scott is gearing up to direct Sony's All the Money in the World, the David Scarpa-scripted Getty kidnapping drama, for which Scott is eyeing a lead in Natalie Portman. He's also lined up The Cartel at Fox, an adaption of Don Winslow's bestselling crime drama, which is often called The Godfather of drug war stories. Last year, there were also reports that he would reteam with his The Martian scribe Drew Goddard for an adaptation of the S. Craig Zahler novel Wraiths of the Broken Land, which would be the first Western of his career. Finally, Scott's also got another three Alien films planned at Fox after Covenant, and he's already got the first one written and ready to go. Round and round he goes, where Ridley Scott stops, nobody knows.