Get the memes ready as Ancient Aliens is making the jump from TV to the big screen. Legendary Pictures has partnered with Counterbalance Entertainment, known for their work on the hit seriesCobra Kai, to turn the long-running History docuseries into a movie. It will not be a pseudo-documentary this time around though as the filmmaking team is turning this into a scripted adventure.
According to multiple reports, Counterbalance Entertainment has been set to produce theAncient Aliensmovie. Josh Heald has been tapped to direct the adaptation, with Luke Ryan on board to pen the screenplay.Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Jashni are set to produce alongside Heald. There is no word yet on how soon production could begin. There is also no indication as to who may be eyed to star at this time. While plot details are largely being kept under wraps at this time, the feature is being described as “a two-handed, globe-spanning adventure featuring ancient sites and artifacts, confronting the theories and questions raised by the popular docuseries.”
Josh Healdis one of the key writers and directors ofCobra Kai. TheKarate Kidspin-off series was originally set up at YouTube but movies to Netflix for season 3. Its popularity exploded once it shifted to the far more popular streaming service. Heald also wrote the comedyHot Tub Time Machine. As for Luke Ryan, he originally started his career working as an executive at New Line and later transitioned into screenwriting.
Ancient Aliensfirst debuted on History back in 2009 and has been on the air ever since. After 16 seasons and counting, the show is quickly approaching 200 episodes. The show, generally speaking, explores the notion thatalienshave visited Earth repeatedly throughout history. Per the network, the “series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, first-hand accounts and grounded theories surrounding this age old debate. Did intelligent beings from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago?” The show frequently features ufologist Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, who has inspired near-countless memes on the internet. Kevin Burns executive produced the series before his passing last year.
Legendary has been behind some of thebiggest franchises of the last decadeor so, includingThe Dark Knighttrilogy and theJurassic Worldmovies. The studio also partners with Warner Bros. on the MonsterVerse. The most recent entry in that series,Godzilla vs. Kong, has proved to be a tremendous hit so far, having already grossed more than $300 million worldwide. They also have Denis Villeneuve’sDuneslated to arrive later this year.
As for Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, they remain busy as ever. Not only do they now have this movie on the books butCobra Kaihas been renewed for season 4 by Netflix. The trio write, produce and direct the show. Whether or not this means they will have to take a step back remains to be seen. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details about the project are made available. This news comes to us viaThe Hollywood Reporter.
