Alex Garland, the screenwriter behind films like 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and, most recently Dredd, is set to make his directorial debut. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that he will helm an original sci-fi thriller called Ex Machina.

The film, written by Garland, is said to follow a billionaire inventor who arranges for a young employee to spend a week at his home to test an artificially intelligent female robot that the inventor has constructed.

Ex Machina is unconnected to Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris' comic book of the same title which has, for years, also been slated for the big screen.

Eli Bush, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich and Scott Rudin will produce Ex Machina with production planned for later this year.

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