Annapurna Pictures and Oscar winning screenwriter Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) have selected a director for their Waco film: Jaume Collet-Serra. With credits such as Non-Stop, House of Wax, and The Shallows, Collet-Serra is well-chosen, as he has proven plenty of his experience with establishing action and tension.

Along with Marc Haimes (Kubo and the Two Strings), Boal has written the script to the movie, which is based on the events in Waco, Texas in 1993.

Produced by Page 1, which was also founded by Boal, the film is centered around the historic and violent conflict between the FBI, the Branch Davidians, and Texas law enforcement. Ultimately, the Branch Davidians were convinced by their leader, David Koresh, to create what they called an “Army of God.” To do this, they gathered an extensive collection of weapons, believing their actions to be warranted by the upcoming apocalypse. Their ammunition supplies helped enable a search by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, and Firearms to turn into a shootout. Though the events began on February 2nd, 1993, they did not stop there, instead culminating in a hostage situation. By the time the compound was engulfed in flames fifty one days later on April 19, seventy six people had died, with Koresh among them.

While the production has yet to begin, the studio intends to get to work on the movie by the end of this year.