Jennifer Yuh Nelson, best known for helming the Kung Fu Panda movies, will make her live-action directorial debut with Darkest Minds, Fox’s adaptation of the YA trilogy by Alexandra Bracken.
Shawn Levy and his 21 Laps banner are producing.
The book is described as combining superhero conventions with tones of coming-of-age stories such as Stand By Me and post-apocalyptic survivor tales like The Walking Dead.
Minds is set after a pandemic kills most of America’s children and teenagers. When some survivors develop various superpowers, they are deemed too dangerous for society, taken from their families and placed inside internment camps.
The first book tells of a 16-year-old with telekinetic powers who escapes her camp and joins a group of teens on the run from the government.
Chad Hodge wrote the script.
Nelson rose through the animation ranks working on shows such as Spawn and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest before making her directorial debut with 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2, which nabbed an Oscar nomination for best animated feature. She directed Kung Fu Panda 3, which was released in January.
Nelson is repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson.
