“It” director Andy Muschietti is attached to develop a movie version of H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine” with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way producing along with Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures.
Andy Muschietti and his producer sister, Barbara Muschietti, have written a treatment for the film and Andy Muschietti will direct the project. Barbara Muschietti will produce with DiCaprio and Appian Way’s Jennifer Davisson.
Wells published the original “Time Machine” in 1895 with the unnamed Time Traveller using a machine to stop in A.D. 802,701, where he finds that society has devolved into an elite of Eloi and the downtrodden Morlocks, then travels 30 million years ahead to find the Earth dying before returning to Victorian times.
Arnold Leibovit is executive producing. He was an exec producer of the 2002 movie version that starred Guy Pearce. The first film version was directed by George Pal in 1960.
Variety reported on Oct. 29 that Muschietti would direct a feature film adaptation of “Attack on Titan” for Warner Bros. “Attack on Titan,” written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama, is set in a world in which humanity lives in cities surrounded by enormous walls protecting themselves from gigantic humanoids that are referred to as titans. David Heyman (“Harry Potter,” “Fantastic Beasts”) is producing the film with Masi Oka (“Mega Man”) and Barbara Muschietti.
Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of “It” — based on the Stephen King novel — became the biggest horror film of all time with $700 million worldwide. He is currently in production on the sequel, “It: Chapter 2.” Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, and Isaiah Mustafa are starring as the adult members of the Losers Club in the follow-up, set to open on Sept. 6, 2019.
The news about “The Time Machine” was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.