Alcon Entertainment is a production company I’m keeping close tabs on for a very particular reason: they are going to be the ones behind the next Blade Runner sequel/prequel/whatever it ends up being. Since the original is my favorite film, I want to make sure it’s going to be in good hands; considering that Alcon is responsible for Dolphin Tale, Joyful Noise, and a handful of other middling movies, my confidence is getting a bit shaken.

But maybe this will be the turn around. Deadline reports that Alcon has acquired North American distribution rights (and some international, such as Germany, Spain, and Japan) to Chernobyl Diaries from producer Oren Peli. Based on an original story by the Paranormal Activity mastermind, Chernobyl Diaries is a horror picture that takes place in the town of Prypiat, once the home of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor workers before its meltdown in 1986 caused the town to be deserted. Three friends vacationing in Europe find themselves stranded in the ghost town, but it may not be as deserted as they think.

Directorial duties for Chernobyl Diaries were handled on Brad Parker, who’s using this to make a jump to feature directing after working as a visual effects supervisor (most recently on 2010′s Let Me In), and all signs point to a Memorial Day weekend release this year. That was quick.

We reported on Diaries at the start of November, when Jesse McCartney, Jonathan Sadowski, Devin Kelley, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Nathan Phillips, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, and Dimitri Diatchenko were all announced as being part of the cast.

Chernobyl Diaries doesn’t sound “terrible,” but it doesn’t sound like anything that will break the bank, either, and the plot details give me a The Hills Have Eyes sort of vibe. But Peli‘s first movie as producer (last year’s Insidious) was pretty damn good and, having spoken to him, I can say that he definitely knows what he’s doing here. There’s enough to remain optimistic, is what I’m getting at. And for the future Blade Runner‘s sake, I hope my optimism isn’t misplaced.

Does Chernobyl Diaries sound like a fun way to spend your Memorial Day weekend?