Phil Lord and Chris Miller have come on board to direct “Artemis,” the follow-up novel by “The Martian” author Andy Weir, for 20th Century Fox and New Regency.
The producers are Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood via Genre Films. Steve Asbell is overseeing the movie for the studio.
The book will be released on Nov. 17 by Crown Publishing Group. Weir’s “The Martian” sold more than 3 million copies since its 2014 debut and inspired the Fox feature film of the same name, which was produced by Kinberg and Sood along with Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer. Fox bought the film rights in May.
It’s the first gig for Lord and Miller since the duo was fired from directing the Han Solo standalone film and replaced by Ron Howard.
Lord and Miller have had an overall deal set up at 20th Century Fox Television since 2013 and developed the series “The Last Man on Earth,” which is heading into its fourth season next month.
“Artemis” follows a woman named Jazz, a directionless twentysomething constrained by her small town, the titular Artemis — the only city on Moon. With debts to pay and a salary that barely covers the rent, she can’t say no when a life-changing opportunity drops in her lap. But she then finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.
Lord and Miller directed “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatball,” “The Lego Movie,” and the two “Jump Street” films.
Weir worked as a software engineer until the runaway success of his debut novel, “The Martian,” allowed him to pursue writing full time. “The Martian,” directed by Ridley Scott, was a surprise hit for Fox, grossing $630 million at the worldwide box office. It received seven Academy Award nominations.
Lord and Miller are repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
