Jason Bateman To Direct Supernatural Western The Pinkerton For Bad Robot

A hot property that J.J. Abrams' production company Bad Robot acquired two years ago has finally found its director, according to Deadline. Actor, comedian, and filmmaker Jason Bateman is set to step behind the camera for "The Pinkerton," which will be the first original film project to come from Bad Robot's reported $250 million deal with WarnerMedia.

News of "The Pinkerton" first broke in early March 2020, when it was announced that "Kin" and "F9" screenwriter Daniel Casey was working on the script for the project. Given the obviously inauspicious timing of that announcement, it makes sense that it's taken "The Pinkerton" a while to get off the ground. Now, though, Bateman is set to return to feature directing for the first time since 2015 to helm what's being called a "supernatural revenge-Western hybrid," per Deadline.

The plot of "The Pinkerton" is totally under wraps, but the title calls to mind the Pinkerton detective agency, America's first PI outfit that began way back in 1850. The Pinkertons certainly have a long and movie-worthy — albeit not particularly supernatural — history. Founded by Allan Pinkerton, the agency is perhaps most famous for foiling an attempt on Abraham Lincoln's life, when Kate Warne thwarted a possible plan to assassinate the president-elect on the train ride to his own inauguration. At one point in time, the Pinkertons were known for progressive hiring tactics as they employed women and people of color as spies, but at other points, the company did anti-union dirty work.

It's worth noting that there doesn't seem to be confirmation as of yet that "The Pinkerton" relates back to the famous PI company, and given Bad Robot's history of secrecy (see: the "Cloverfield" franchise), we may not know what to expect from the film for some time. Jason Bateman's presence doesn't exactly give away much, either, given that the actor-filmmaker has directed projects that are as tonally disparate as "Ozark," "Arrested Development," and "Family Matters." His two directorial features to date, "Bad Words" and "The Family Fang," are both dark comedies.

Bateman is also set to executive produce "The Pinkerton" alongside Michael Costigan, while Abrams and Hannah Minghella will produce. Bad Robot also has plenty of other projects in the works at the moment, from a Hot Wheels movie to a "Speed Racer" show. Last June, a wrench was thrown into the company's partnership with Warner Bros. when news broke that Abrams' ambitious sci-fi series "Demimonde" was not going to move forward with HBO after all.

"The Pinkerton" does not yet have a release date.