Michael B. Jordan’s Methuselah has a new director.
Danny Boyle, who won an Oscar for helming Slumdog Millionaire, is stepping in to direct the fantasy tale, reuniting with his Slumdog screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who will rewrite the script, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Methuselah was initially planned with Jordan to play a man who has managed to stay alive for hundreds of years, though the tale will undergo a rehaul with Boyle and Beaufoy. Methuselah, a reference to the biblical tale, has been in development at Warner Bros. for a while, with Tom Cruise at one point interested in the title role. Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts was previously attached to helm the Jordan version of the film.
Boyle was last in theaters with Universal’s Yesterday, a Beatles-inspired musical dramedy that grossed $153.7 million globally. He and Beaufoy shared a screenwriting Oscar nomination for the James Franco film 127 Hours.
Jordan’s Outlier Society, which has a first-look deal with Warners, will produce Methuselah, along with Boyle and Heyday’s David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford.
Jordan and Boyle are repped by WME. Beaufoy is repped by Knight Hall Agency.
