Forbidden Planet—the classic 1956 film that played an influential role in shaping the on-screen sci-fi genre—is returning in a remake from Warner Bros. Pictures, according to Deadline.

Brian Vaughan (pictured) is attached to write the reboot’s screenplay, channeling his longtime experience creating and writing superhero/sci-fi comic book series like Runaways (Marvel Comics) and Paper Girls (Image Comics), as well as writing/producing the 2000s sci-fi drama TV series Lost.

Emma Watts—whose credits include the 2009 blockbuster Avatar and the Maze Runner YA film franchise—will produce the pic, adds Deadline. Watts’s previous experience with the sci-fi genre includes serving as a production exec on the films I, Robot (2004) and Alita: Battle Angel (2019).

Further details regarding the style, target demo and release date haven’t yet been announced. But the original movie from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was aimed at audiences of all ages and earned US$2.7 million at the box office against a US$1.9-million budget. 

Set in the 23rd century, the 1956 version follows a starship crew who travel to a distant planet called Altair IV to investigate what became of the scientists from an earlier mission. Forbidden Planet achieved many “firsts”—for example, it is credited as being the first movie set on a planet located outside Earth’s Solar System and one of the first to feature a robot as a character with a distinct personality. Often referenced in pop culture over the 68 years since its release, the film was also noted as an inspiration for the iconic Star Trek franchise.

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