DreamWorks Buys How To Survive A Robot Uprising Author's Robopocalypse

DreamWorks Studios and Doubleday have acquired, in a pre-emptive deal, the rights to Daniel H. Wilson's unpublished manuscript, Robopocalypse. The story "explores the fate of the human race following a robot uprising." The film project is being fast tracked and the book is tentatively being scheduled for a 2011 publication. No writer, director or actors have yet been attached. But what makes this different from any of the robot uprising films we've seen in the past? Details after the jump.

Robopocalypse won't be a hugely fantastical tale of the robot uprising, but aims to be more realistic. Wilson has a background in robotics and artificial intelligence which Doubleday Executive Editor and Vice President Jason Kaufman claims "grounds his story with a frightening level of realism and he has created an exhilarating story that we think audiences will really respond to." Wilson has a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, is a contributing editor to "Popular Mechanics," and hosted a show on the History Channel called "The Works." So yeah, expect something a lot more realistic than Transformers or Terminator Salvation.

You might recognize Wilson's name as his name is all over a bunch of those novelty survival guide books, including the 2005 book "How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion," which was optioned by Paramount Pictures, and "Where's My Jetpack?: A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future That Never Arrived," "How To Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Aliens, Ninjas, and Zombies," and "The Mad Scientist Hall of Fame: Muwahahaha!" His next book, titled "Bro-Jitsu: The Martial Art of Sibling Smackdown," which has already been optioned by Nicalodeon Movies, is scheduled for release next year.