Paramount’s fallen out of the habit of actually releasing movies on time, but they can, in lieu of making money, develop films that open six-nine months after their originally-scheduled date. In other words: Any excitement that gets cooked up by this next story best be kept in check for the time being.

According to THR, the studio have teamed with Shawn Levy and his 21 Laps Entertainment for Monster Problems, a post-apocalyptic road film that takes cues from an unlikely combination: Mad Max, Zombieland, and John Hughes. So, that could very well add up to a love story betwixt two precocious kids — with plenty of action and death.

The spec script was penned by Brian Duffield, a fellow who recently sold a western, Jane Got a Gun, right into the hands of Natalie Portman and Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin). Not only is that a nice little bit of contextual information — something you and I can always appreciate — but it’s definitely a sign he’s got some talented bones in his body. While I don’t think the bigger picture will actually reveal itself for a bit of time — six-nine months after we’re told it’s coming, at least — things look okay on the Monster Problems front in the meantime.

Do you see anything potentially interesting in the set-up of Monster Problems?