Kathryn Bigelow To Direct Netflix Thriller From Kimi Screenwriter
Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow has found her next directorial venture with Netflix's adaptation of Aurora, an upcoming novel by Kimi screenwriter David Koepp. Set in Aurora, Illinois, the story revolves around a solar storm that causes a power outage all over the world and focuses on a single mother, Aubrey Wheeler, as she is forced to protect her teenage son and the rest of the neighborhood. At the same time, she also has to deal with her estranged brother, a Silicon Valley CEO, who has built a luxurious bunker in the desert across the country for just such a disaster.
It's been reported by THR that Bigelow is set to make a return to the director's chair for the adaptation of Aurora, which is currently in development at Netflix. Koepp is also set to pen the screenplay for the project. While the book isn't out until June 7th, it has received early praise from writers like Stephen King and Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit). There is no information as to whether there will be any changes made to the novel's storyline in the film. However, early reports have relayed that it will follow the characters coping with the crumbling social order set against a calamitous worldwide power crisis.
Bigelow made a name for herself by directing films like the 1991 action flick Point Break and the Jeremy Renner-led war drama The Hurt Locker, making her the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar. She also received a Best Picture nomination for 2012's Zero Dark Thirty. Aurora will be her first feature film since 2017's crime drama Detroit. As for Koepp, who is fresh off writing Steven Soderbergh's recent pandemic thriller Kimi, the celebrated screenwriter is best known for penning some iconic blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, and Spider-Man, to name a few. It's unclear when filming for Aurora will begin, but audiences can look forward to what looks like a dream collaboration.
Source: THR