Twentieth Century Fox and Canal Plus will co-finance BABYLON A.D., a big-budget futuristic thriller to be directed and written by GOTHIKA helmer Mathieu Kassovitz, reports VARIETY.

Inspired by Maurice Dantec novel BABYLON BABIES, tale is set in the near future where genetic manipulation occurs. In the book, a mercenary charged with bringing a young woman from Russia to Canada learns that she has been infected with a synthetic virus, which could wipe out all humans on Earth.

Prior to BABYLON, Kassovitz will act in Steven Spielberg’s film about the aftermath of the Munich Olympics, which films this summer. Kassovitz joins Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush. DreamWorks and Universal are producing that film.

BABYLON A.D. will be produced by Alain Goldman's Legende Films and Kassovitz's MNP Enterprise, with Gary Ungar exec producing. Canal Plus will distribute in Europe while Fox gets domestic and overseas territories outside Europe.

Fox's Jim Gianopulos, Hutch Parker and Peter K Kang will shepherd the project, which will begin shooting in Eastern Europe and Canada in February.