While Attack the Block director Joe Cornish helped co-write Edgar Wright's Ant-Man, we haven't heard much about what his next project will be behind the camera. Last year he became attached to two adaptations that haven't really moved anywhere. One was Neal Stephenson's sci-fi classic Snow Crash, and the other was a big screen take on Royden Lepp's graphic novel, Rust. It may be that Cornish couldn't find the time to fit both into his schedule but he's now off of Rust, with Rio director Carlos Saldanha in talks to replace him.
If he comes aboard this would be the live-action debut for Saldanha, who has been one of the staples over at Blue Sky Studios, directing Rio and its upcoming sequel, plus three of the Ice Age films. The comic is a sci-fi coming-of-age story sort of in the same vein as E.T., but with a bit more action involved. It centers on a farming family and their son, who see their lives changed when Jet Jones, a boy with a jet pack, crashes onto their land, pursued by a giant war robot.
Cornish perhaps would have made a more logical fit, but it will be interesting to see what Saldanha does in what will be brand new territory for him. He'll be working from a script by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) whenever production begins.
