Deadline brings word today that Joachim Rønning, one half of the directing team behind Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, has signed on to spearhead an adaptation of Micro for Amblin.
Lifted from the pages of Michael Crichton’s final novel – the same scribe behind Jurassic Park, not to mention the writer-director that constructed the original Westworld in ’73 – Darren Lemke has reportedly turned in a screenplay for the project, though Deadline cautions that negotiations between Rønning are still ongoing at press time.
Assuming a deal closes, this could be the first tangible sign of progress for Amblin’s Micro adaptation since Steven Spielberg and Michael Wright swooped in to acquire the screen rights two years ago. Billed as a high-concept thriller, the narrative crux of Crichton’s swan song orbits around a “group of graduate students lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company — only to find themselves miniaturized and cast out into the rainforest, with nothing but their scientific expertise and wits to protect them.”
Buoyed by the positive buzz surrounding Dead Men Tell No Tales – reactions from CinemaCon painted Disney’s soft reboot as the best Pirates movie since the first – Joachim Rønning is a filmmaker in demand. Should the director sign along the dotted line, we understand that Micro is being angled as the first entry into a potential franchise of films – not unlike Universal’s handling of the Jurassic Park series. Speaking of which, Frank Marshall is on board to produce alongside Sherri Crichton and Laurent Bouzereau, though there’s currently no mention of casting or a production timeline at this early stage. Even still, a high-concept thriller paired with a director on the up-and-up sounds like a match made in cinematic heaven, so stay tuned for more.
As for Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, it’s one of the first blockbusters of the summer season, and May 26th is the date for your diaries.
