There’s yet another film that Antoine Fuqua is lined up to helm: Variety reports the Training Day director as being the new man for Hunter Killer, which Phillip Noyce was attached to until last month. The project, based on George Wallace and Don Keith‘s Firing Point, follows “an untested submarine captain who must work with a Navy SEAL team to rescue the Russian president, who has been taken prisoner during a military coup, in an effort to stop a rogue Russian general from igniting World War III.”

The script has been written by Jamie Moss, John Kolvenbach, and Arne Schmidt; Neil Moritz and Toby Jaffe are producing alongside Ryan Kavanaugh, CEO of Relativity. Those backers are a good thing for Fuqua, since most of his movies have been falling apart from a lack of concrete financing. This most recently happened with his boxing drama, Southpaw, which is set to star Eminem. Speaking of stars, a previous report claimed that Gerard Butler was in the running to play the captain; this might still hold true, although that means it’s also happening quietly.

Fuqua is an interesting choice to direct, mainly because of his eclectic filmography that ranges from cop drama (Training Day) to medieval epic (King Arthur). Most of what he’s been attached to for the past year or so has had a different feel from one potential film to the next; even though I’m surprised, it makes sense for him, in some weird way. Part of me is actually excited to know that he might have something locked down. Maybe it’s because his choices won’t be as frustrating to follow, but that at least counts to some degree.

Hunter Killer will open on December 21st, 2012.

Is Fuqua a good replacement for Noyce? Any anticipation for Hunter Killer?