“Kung Fu Panda 2” director Jennifer Yuh Nelson will make her live-action directorial debut with an adaptation of YA hit “The Darkest Minds,” the first installment of a book trilogy by Alexandra Bracken. The Hollywood Reporter writes that she’ll helm “The Darkest Minds” for Fox.
THR describes the book as “combining superhero conventions with tones of coming-of-age stories such as ‘Stand By Me’ and post-apocalyptic survivor tales like ‘The Walking Dead.’ [It] is set after a pandemic kills most of America’s children and teenagers. When some survivors develop various superpowers, they are deemed too dangerous for society, taken from their families and placed inside internment camps. The first book tells of a 16-year-old with telekinetic powers who escapes her camp and joins a group of teens on the run from the government.”
Yuh Nelson made her directorial debut with “Kung Fu Panda 2,” which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. She also co-directed “Kung Fu Panda 3,” which was released earlier this year. “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Kung Fu Panda 3” each grossed more than $500 million worldwide: the former made $665 million worldwide while the latter earned over $518 million.
Yuh Nelson is one of the few women who has been hired to direct animated features. Jennifer Lee co-directed Disney’s smash hit “Frozen.” Brenda Chapman, the Oscar-winning co-director of “Brave,” has also announced she will be making her live-action debut.
