Harold to pen Wiseman's 'Atlantis Rising'

Joby Harold (Awake) is in discussions to write the movie adaptation of comic book Atlantis Rising.

Originally a five-part Platinum Studios miniseries, the story involves shifts in plates at sea level that prompt military forces to venture to the unexplored depths of the ocean. There they find an underground civilisation which starts a war on Earth.

Star Trek writer Roberto Orci, who is producing with his partner Alex Kurtzman, explained the story's appeal to The Hollywood Reporter.

"In all the classic versions of this kind of movie, the threat is always from the stars," he said. "The idea that it's somehow our cousins who went off in a different path of evolution who have been here, literally, underneath our oceans. That's fascinating, the idea of secrets right under your nose."

Wiseman signed up to direct the DreamWorks blockbuster last week.