The preemptive move is based on a speculative script by David Ayer, with whom QED International collaborates on the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger action thriller Ten.

Ayer will direct Fury and QED will finance, handle international sales and produce with John Lesher’s Le Grisbi Productions. Principal photography is scheduled to commence later this year.

The story takes place in 1945 as the five-man crew of an American tank named Fury embarks on a mission that becomes a vicious battle for survival against a desperate German army. Block, Lesher and Ethan Smith are the producers.

Open Road will distribute Ten, which QED produced with Lesher, in the US in January 2014.

“I want to bring a fresh execution to the genre,” said Ayer. “What these men went through is worthy of a complex honest, hard portrayal. This will have incredible, visceral action, and complex, rich characters. I plan to bring tank combat to life in a way that lands with a modern audience.”

Fury is not your father’s World War II movie – it digs deep into the complexities of battlefield heroism,” said Block. “This is the biggest acquisition in QED’s history and we cannot wait for David to bring this amazing story to audiences worldwide.”

“I am thrilled to partner with QED and collaborate with David again,” said Lesher. “David has written a war movie like no other. His ability to create real and authentic characters puts you right in the centre of the action and provides an intimate, personal, and unfiltered look at what it’s like to be a soldier.”

QED’s production slate includes rom-com Fading Gigolo and supernatural thriller Haunt.

CAA and David Weber negotiated the deal for Ayer.