Glenn Close (Guardians of the Galaxy) has announced her official participation in the UK-based zombie film She Who Brings Gifts, joining the ranks of British actors such as Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia, Hansel & Gretel) and Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum, The World’s End).

Adapted by M.R. Carey from his own novel The Girl With All the Gifts, the upcoming flick takes place in the dark future, and tells the story of a special girl named Melanie who is kept in an underground army bunker with other children; these children, however, are used as lab rats, with scientists testing them to discover the breakthrough cure for a fungal spore that has poisoned the earth.

Colm McCarthy is set to direct She Who Brings Gifts, marking this as his debut feature film project. McCarthy has made a notable name for himself, having directed British television favorites like Sherlock, The Tudors, and Doctor Who, and co-producer Camille Gatin describes his style as “dynamic yet sensitive”. Author/screenwriter Carey is a well-known entity in the comic book arena with both DC and Marvel fare: he is creatively responsible for works like Lucifer and Hellblazer, as well as X-Men: Legacy and Ultimate Fantastic Four. 

While the concept of a young adult female protagonist’s immersion in a dystopian society led by totalitarian adults is not necessarily an original pitch (see: The Hunger Games, Insurgent), producer Angus Lamont seems confident of the movie’s appeal, saying in a press release:

Melanie’s story is a completely unique take on a much loved genre, seamlessly blending together a lonely child’s search for love and family with a terrifying journey where she controls the fate of the last adult humans on earth.

She Who Brings Gifts was a member of the 2014 Brit List- a catalogue of “stellar scripts by non-US writers, set up to complement the US Black List”. Other scripts previously included in the Brit List were films such as The King’s Speech, My Week With Marilyn, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Production for She Who Brings Gifts will begin in May 2015, though Glenn Close’s character role has not yet been revealed.