In October 2011, Warner officially green-lit the film for director Jaume Collett-Serra (Unknown, Orphan, House of Wax).
Lin directed the critically acclaimed independent film Better Luck Tomorrow, several films in the Fast & Furious franchise and the upcoming Star Trek Beyond sequel.
However, The Hollywood Reporter then posted that production had shut down in January 2012, before filming would have started.
Mad Max film series director George Miller said in October that he had turned down an offer to work on the project.