Jonathan Liebesman is in negotiations to direct Battle: Los Angeles, a sci-fi action film Neal Moritz and his Original Films are producing for Columbia, says The Hollywood Reporter.
The story follows one Marine platoon’s encounter in the battle against an alien invasion on the streets of Los Angeles.
The studio picked up the spec script by Chris Bertolini pre-emptively in April, and Moritz was bullish on making it as soon as possible.
The trade says that Liebesman beat out several other prospects for the job by making a whiz-bang presentation that showed his specific vision and passion for the project, described as Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day.
In August, Liebesman went out to locations in Santa Monica and downtown Los Angeles, shooting sequences and plates, and adding CGI aliens. He also created a pre-viz alien invasion sequence.
The South African helmer’s credits include The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and Darkness Falls.
