Sony Pictures has come on board to co-finance and distribute the Skydance thriller “Life,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds.
Variety recently broke the news that Gyllenhaal would be taking over the lead role in place of Reynolds, due to the latter’s schedule. Reynolds is still set to have a supporting role.
“Safe House” director Daniel Espinosa is helming the pic.
David Ellison and Dana Goldberg are producing along with Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn. The script was written by “Deadpool” duo Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.
The story follows the crew of the International Space Station, who, after retrieving a sample from Mars, discover that it displays signs of life, and proves to be more intelligent than expected.
The film has yet to be dated, though it is expected to be fast-tracked for a greenlight, with production on track to start this spring.
The movie would mark one of the first major Skydance productions in which Paramount is not a partner. Sources indicate that Paramount and Skydance’s relationship is intact, and Skydance took the project elsewhere in part because Paramount’s J.J. Abrams project “God Particle” shared a similar storyline.
Deadline Hollywood first reported the news.
