Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters won’t be gracing your local theater for another nine months or so, but I’ll take this as a sign Tommy Wirkola did something right over there. According to THR, the Norwegian helmer is closing in on Relativity’s Afterburn, a sci-fi film that’s already set Gerard Butler as its lead, schedule permitting; Neal H. Moritz, Tobey Maguire, Ryan Kavanaugh, and Toby Jaffe will all produce.

Once set for Antoine Fuqua — who will instead direct Butler in Olympus Has Fallen and, possibly, Hunter Killer — Afterburn is based on Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens‘ graphic novel, which takes place on a future, solar flare-ravaged Earth that’s now “filled with mutants and pirates.” In the middle of this wreckage lies some valuable art work, and a treasure hunter (Butler) is sent to recover it — not before facing off against “rival bounty hunters, rogue armies, pirate gangs and deadly mutants” of course.

It sounds like some fun genre material, something the director of Dead Snow and Hansel seems to have made his exclusive focus thus far. The basic concept is, again, fun, but I’d also love for Butler to take a role that allows him to express his own physicality, one that could even bring us back to the 300 days. I want more of the 300 days.

Are you at least a little intrigued by this project?