Doug Liman to Direct Sci-Fi Project ‘Unearthed,’ Which Involves Ancient Aliens

Doug Liman has lined up his next project after exiting the Justice League Dark movie, and this one has ancient aliens in it. Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to Unearthed, a YA novel by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner due to hit bookshelves in January.

According to Variety, Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Spectre) are adapting the script from the novel.

Variety’s report of the plot reads as follows:

Set in a distant future where Earth has been undone by environmental disaster, “Unearthed” sees a scholar and a scavenger reluctantly team up to venture to the planet of a now-extinct alien race. With the promise of a salve for Earth, the two must work together to explore an ancient alien temple and finds its life-altering secrets. But the deeper they go, the more the two discover they may not be helping Earth, but rather hastening its destruction.

Sounds pretty interesting, if you ask me, and Liman is certainly filling out his schedule for the next few years. American Made is opening this fall, and he’s currently working on adapting Chaos Walking, which will star Daisy Ridley. Clearly he’s not too torn up about Justice League Dark.