Marvel’s Federico D’Alessandro in talks to direct creature feature Lockdown at Franklin High

It's been more than a year and a half since we brought you the news that Sony had bought the spec script to the fun-sounding project LOCKDOWN AT FRANKLIN HIGH, a supernatural high school creature feature from DANCE OF THE DEAD duo Joe Ballarini and Gregg Bishop, but it seems the film is finally moving forward as Deadline is reporting that Sony is in talks to put a director for the micro-budget project in place.

Federico D’Alessandro, who acted as storyboard artist on Marvel's THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA: FIRST AVENGER, then later added animatics supervisor to those duties, has been tapped by the studio to take the helm on LOCKDOWN AT FRANKLIN HIGH, which is being produced by Platinum Dunes and Benderspink.

With a budget in the $6 million range, LOCKDOWN AT FRANKLIN HIGH could be Sony’s first foray into the lucrative low-budget, high-yielding genre of filmmaking, following in the footsteps of Paramount's Insurge Pictures and Jason Blum's Blumhouse, whose microbudget genre pics have generated box office hits.

LOCKDOWN AT FRANKLIN HIGH centers on…

…a straight edge teen girl and her rebellious, socially outcast brother as they try to escape from their prison-like high school which has been locked down and plunged into anarchy and pandemonium due to the attacks of a ravenous, supernatural monster."

Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form are producing via Platinum Dunes while J.C. Spink and Chris Bender will produce for Benderspink.

The studio and the producers are hoping for a first quarter 2014 start.