Arriving in theaters this week, there’s few films in 2012 as uncomfortably intense as Craig Zobel’s Compliance. Taking place almost entirely in a fast food restaurant, he will drastically expand his scope for his next project, as well as work with a major Hollywood star.

Variety reports the director has been attached to the post-apocalyptic drama Z for Zachariah, which will feature Tobey Maguire as “a rugged scientist with a dark past” in the story that follows “a teenage girl who lives alone and maintains a farm in the only valley with breathable air in the wake of nuclear war. Her world is turned upside down when two strangers wander in from the forest.” The girl will help Maguire’s character after he gets sick from the nuclear effects.

Maguire is also on board to produce the film based on Robert C. O’Brien‘s novel and turned into a Black List script from Nissar Modi. Zobel certainly proved he could build an unsettling world, even in such a confined space as a KFC-type restaurant, so I look forward to him adding the same amount of tension for an entire post-apocalyptic world. It seems Maguire, whose The Great Gatsby just got pushed to next summer, will be a supporting character, so hopefully Zobel finds some strong talent to fill out the rest of the cast. In the meantime, check out our interview with Zobel on Sundance.

Are you looking forward to seeing the next film from Zobel?