The award-winning studio Laika is expanding its live action slate with an original film written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Dune, Passengers, Doctor Strange), who makes his directorial debut with this sci-fi thriller. The as-yet untitled film tells the tale of a woman investigating a mystery that took place during a week she cannot remember.
Matt Levin, Laika’s president, live action film & series, made the announcement.
“Laika has long admired Jon's iconic work as a screenwriter,” said Levin. “He is one of the most imaginative and inventive storytellers working today, and we're honored to partner with him as he brings his unique vision and soul to the director's chair for the first time with a wholly original idea that is as thought-provoking as it is moving.”
Spaihts is well known for co-writing Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021) and its sequel Dune: Part Two (2024), both films based on the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. He also wrote the screenplays for Prometheus (2012), Passengers (2016) and Doctor Strange (2016). For his work on Dune, Spaihts was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay. Spaihts is fascinated by the intersection of history and science, and the choices human beings make under extraordinary circumstances.
“This is an original passion project I’ve been eager to turn to for a while,” said Spaihts, “and I couldn’t ask for better partners. Laika has a clear creative vision, and a tradition of meticulous, bespoke storytelling that suits this project very well.”
Laika recently announced the live action film Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield and produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The re-release of its first animated film Coraline to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary in glorious, remastered 3D has amassed more than $48 million at the global box office since August 15.
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