Barry Jenkins in Talks to Direct Glen Powell in Sci-Fi Thriller ‘The Natural Order’

It appears that acclaimed director Barry Jenkins has landed his next project – a fresh science fiction thriller featuring the talent of Glen Powell.

The “Natural Order” project stems from an unpublished work by Matthew Aldrich (“Coco”), focusing on the quest for immortality.

Universal has already secured the rights to the initial concept, with Jenkins currently negotiating to take on directing duties. Both Jenkins and Aldrich are involved in bringing Aldrich’s upcoming novel (his debut work) to the big screen as a script adaptation.

This project is pairing two major forces in the 2024 box office: Jenkins, fresh from directing “Mufasa: The Lion King” for Disney, which turned into the seventh highest-grossing movie worldwide last year with over $700 million in earnings. Simultaneously, Powell has had consecutive theater successes with Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone but You” and Universal’s “Twisters,” and received a Golden Globe and Writers Guild of America nomination for Netflix’s “Hit Man.”

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The project brings together two powerhouses in the 2024 box office: Jenkins, having just directed Disney’s global hit “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which grossed over $700 million last year; and Powell, who has enjoyed back-to-back successes with Sony’s romantic comedy “Anyone but You” and Universal’s “Twisters,” and was nominated for a Golden Globe and Writers Guild of America Award for Netflix’s “Hit Man.

In addition, the collaboration between studio and star further strengthens Universal’s bond with Powell, following the massive success of “Twisters” that raked in $372 million globally and ranked as the 8th highest-grossing domestic film of the year. Therefore, “The Natural Order,” being their first joint production under Dan Cohen’s company Barnstorm Production’s exclusive deal with Universal, which commenced last month, is set to be their initial project together.

As a movie connoisseur, I’m excited to share that Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, and Jenkins will be spearheading this upcoming film under their esteemed Pastel production label. Jewerl Keats Ross is also on board as a producer for this project. Erik Baiers, the Senior EVP of production development at our studio, will be overseeing the venture to ensure a cinematic masterpiece unfolds on the big screen.

Powell is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and the law firm Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole. On the other hand, Jenkins and Aldrich are also under CAA’s representation, along with manager Jewerl Keats Ross and attorney Jamie Feldman.

Deadline first reported news of the project.

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2025-03-14 00:17