EXCLUSIVE: Japan’s Nikkatsu has sold English-language remake rights to Alien Vs Ninja to Arnold Messer and Phoenix Pictures, which Messer runs with Mike Medavoy.

Directed by Seiji Chiba, the period action film follows a band of ninjas battling aliens who crash land in Japan. Produced under Nikkatsu’s Sushi Typhoon genre label, the film has sold to multiple territories and will be released in Japan this July. 

“I was seized by the concept after watching the original movie and it hasn’t left me for a moment,” Messer said. “I think we have found a very unique way to frame the story and bring a heroic twist to it that is fresh, surprising and one that will be a very entertaining sci-fi martial arts comedy.”

Messer, who recently produced Black Swan, will produce the remake. Sushi Typhoon producer Yoshinori Chiba, Nikkatsu’s film division chief Aki Sugihara and Yoko Asakura of LA-based production outfit Action 5 will join as executive producers.