Dean Israelite has come aboard to direct Unexplained Phenomenon, a supernatural family adventure from Amblin Partners.
The move reunites the director with scribes Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman, who wrote the 2015 sci-fi thriller Project Almanac, which served as Israelite’s feature helming debut.
Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are producing Phenomenon via the duo’s The Picture Company banner.
The script revolves around a family who encounter a mysterious and otherworldly object that begins to change their lives. It soon draws the attention of an expert and her teenage daughter who may have a connection to the object’s past.
The story is said to be inspired by true events and has been described as being tonally similar to Amblin classics such as E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Poltergeist.
South Africa-born Israelite, who is repped by WME and Principato Young, most recently directed Power Rangers, which grossed $142 million worldwide for Lionsgate.
The Picture Company, which next has the upcoming Liam Neeson thriller The Commuter, is also producing The Travelers at Amblin. The spy thriller recently brought on Will Speck and Josh Gordon to direct.
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