Glen Powell is set to star in the Universal feature The Natural Order, a sci-fi thriller centring on the pursuit for eternal life from filmmaker Barry Jenkins. The film is based on author Matthew Aldrich’s unpublished manuscript. Jenkins is in talks to direct, and Jenkins and Aldrich will write the script. Plot details are scarce, but the project has been described as an “elevated sci-fi thriller”.

This is the first project to fall under Powell and Dan Cohen’s Barnstorm banner’s first-look deal with Universal. Producers on The Natural Order also include Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak for Pastel, along with Jewerl Keats Ross.

Jenkins’ most recent film was the Disney prequel film Mufasa: The Lion King, which released in cinemas late last year. He is best known for his Oscar-winning feature debut, Moonlight. Aldrich most notably wrote Coco for Disney and Pixar, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Warner Bros and DC Studios also recently greenlit his screenplay for Dynamic Duo, a Robin origin story.

Powell, meanwhile, is already set to have a busy year starring in the upcoming The Running Man from director Edgar Wright, appearing opposite Margaret Qualley in Huntington, and leading the eight-episode Hulu series Chad Powers.