Columbia Pictures Buys ‘The Earthling’ After Bidding War, Taps Lipovsky & Stein to Direct

The deal extends Verve–Scott Glassgold’s run of short‑story sales through first‑look pipelines into major studios.

Overview

Columbia Pictures purchased film rights to Jonathan Marty’s short story The Earthling in a multi-studio auction for a reported mid six-figure sum.
Final Destination: Bloodlines filmmakers Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein are attached to direct and will serve as executive producers.
Eric Heisserer’s Chronology and Scott Glassgold’s 1201 Films are producing, with Carmen Lewis producing for Chronology.
Heisserer brought the project into Sony via his first-look deal, and the story is described as survival sci-fi with shades of The Martian and Edge of Tomorrow.
The acquisition marks the seventh short-story sale this year for Glassgold and Verve, with the project in early development and no casting or production timeline announced.