Columbia, Doug Liman team up for sci-fi 'Unearthed'

Columbia Pictures has picked up the rights for the upcoming sci-fi movie 'Unearthed'.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Doug Liman, previously known for Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt starrer 'Edge of Tomorrow,' has been attached to direct the project.

Jez and John Henry Butterworth are writing the script for the film, which adapts the upcoming YA book by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner.

The book is set to publish in January.

Cross Creek Pictures' Tyler Thompson will produce along with Liman.

The movie is set in a distant future where Earth has been undone by environmental disaster.

The story revolves around a scholar and a scavenger, who reluctantly team to venture to the planet of a now-extinct alien race. With the promise of a salve for Earth, the two must work together to explore an ancient alien temple and finds its life-altering secrets.

But the deeper they go, the two discover that they may not be helping their own planet but rather speeding up its destruction.

The project was initially being developed by Cross Creek, which acquired the rights last year. Cross Creek will co-finance under its deal with Columbia, which is eyeing the title as a potential franchise.