Oscar-nominated director Lee Isaac Chung, known for his impactful work on Minari and the summer hit Twisters, has officially signed on to direct The Traveler, an adaptation of Joseph Eckert’s novel. The feature film, produced by Skydance, marks another milestone in Chung’s rising career in both intimate dramas and blockbuster spectacles.
While details about the plot remain under wraps, sources have revealed that The Traveler will begin as a family drama before expanding into a sprawling science fiction adventure. The story centers on Scott Treder, a 47-year-old biology technician who begins to experience involuntary time travel. The novel, which has garnered significant interest for adaptation, explores the complexities of Treder’s life as he navigates his increasingly unpredictable jumps through time.
The road to the big screen has not been a quiet one for The Traveler. An earlier script by Austin Everett gained considerable industry attention, making prestigious lists such as the Blood List, Hit List, and Black List. In 2019, MGM had expressed interest in developing the project, and now, with Chung at the helm, the film is set to gain new momentum. Justin Rhodes, the screenwriter behind Terminator: Dark Fate, has penned the current version of the script.
Skydance’s production team includes David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger, who will produce the film alongside Adam Rosenberg of Aro Pictures, Ashley Jay Sandberg, and Rodney Rothman. Carin Sage will oversee the project for Skydance.
Chung’s selection for the project is a fitting one, considering his success in balancing intimate family stories with large-scale cinematic experiences. His Twisters film, which starred Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, set an all-time opening weekend record for natural disaster movies in North America with a box office take of $80.5 million. The film surpassed projections and added to Chung’s growing reputation as a director capable of delivering both heart and spectacle.
Prior to his success with Twisters, Chung earned critical acclaim for Minari, a semi-autobiographical immigrant drama. Minari won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at Sundance in 2020 and went on to secure multiple Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards. The film also earned Academy Award nominations, further cementing Chung’s place among today’s top filmmakers.
Rhodes, who previously worked on Terminator: Dark Fate and Secret Level, an animated anthology series for Amazon, is also building an impressive resume in the sci-fi genre. He is currently developing two untitled sci-fi projects, one for Apple TV+ and another for Netflix.
With Chung’s distinctive voice and Rhodes’ compelling script, The Traveler is poised to be a significant addition to both the science fiction and family drama genres, blending human emotion with the vast possibilities of time travel.
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