dust_board_gameThe movie industry continues to dig for stories based on preexisting franchises in an effort to capitalize on fandom. The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that Lionsgate has optioned the movie rights for the sci-fi strategy board game Dust from Fantasy Flight Games.

The steampunk-themed game is set in an alternate universe where World War II never ended. Players spend production points to buy factories and invest in research and development. The goal is to have the most victory points by building strong armies and invading other player’s territories. Victory points are awarded for power sources, capitals, and majorities that a player controls. The first player to reach a set number of victory points wins the game.

Rawson Marshall Thurber is attached to direct the film. His credits include “We’re the Millers” and “Dodgeball.” Lego film franchise producer Dan Lin is also on board to produce Dust.

The Hollywood reporter notes that Thurber has “geek cred.” His name is also attached to an adaptation of two popular comic books, “Elfquest” and “The Umbrella Academy.”

“It’s a cool spin on a genre that I’ve loved for a long time and it opens up narrative avenues that are just thrilling,” Thurber told the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s all my 9-year-old fantasies wrapped in one thing, a World War II mashup.”