In a 7-figure deal, Paramount Pictures has preemptively acquired a pitch by Free Guy writer Matt Lieberman, titled, Yumanzu. Lieberman will write the script with Kenya Barris producing through his Khalabo Ink Society along with Adam Kolbrenner through Lit Entertainment Group. 

While plot specifics are being kept under wraps, the film is apparently a high-concept family adventure film that lands somewhere between Jurassic Park and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. 

Lieberman has found himself quite busy in the last couple of years. Since 2018, he’s received seven writing credits. He worked on the Addams Family animated film, Warner Bros’ Scoob!, Paramount’s Playing with Fire and his most recent effort, Free Guy, has gotten him much more attention. 

The upcoming Ryan Reynolds-led feature has been delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but there still seems to be a lot of hype surrounding the feature. The film follows a bank teller who begins to understand that he’s actually an NPC in an open-world video game. Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery and Joe Keery also star in the film alongside Reynolds. 

We don’t know when we’ll get more details about Yumanzu, but so far, Lieberman’s future in Hollywood seems to be a bright one. Free Guy is scheduled to release May 21, 2021.