Chris Columbus has signed on to direct and produce a big screen adaptation of Rick Riordan's fantasy book, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, which is the first book in the PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS series, reports VARIETY. Fox 2000 and Columbus' 1492 Pictures will produce. Maverick's Greg Mooradian and Karen Rosenfelt will also produce. The plot follows a young boy that learns he is the descendant of a Greek god and must mediate a battle between mythological deities.