Originally published in 1999, Chuck Palahniuk’s (Fight Club) twisted novel Survivor has had a long, bloody road to the screen. The book was optioned by 20th Century Fox the same year, but the project was shelved in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Now, over two decades later, the dark satire is ready to soar—this time for real.

Daniel Brown (Your Lucky Day) is set to write and direct the film adaptation of Survivor, with production kicking off in Auckland, New Zealand early next year.

The story plunges into the final hours of Tender Branson, the last surviving member of a puritanical cult. Stranded aboard a commercial airliner with no one left to fly it, Branson recounts his twisted journey from obscurity to superstardom, a tale filled with dark humor, cult horror, and Palahniuk’s signature social satire.

The film is being produced by Ryan Rettig (Voyage of Time, Last Days in the Desert) and Miles David Romney (The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, Ninety-Five Senses) for Community Garden and financier V42, with Mel Turner and Axel Paton at Auckland-based Ground Control (Wolf Man, Heart Eyes) rounding out the production team.

Fans of Palahniuk’s gritty, blackly comedic horror should buckle up—Survivor is finally preparing to take its dark, chaotic flight onto the big screen.

Stay tuned for updates on this long-awaited adaptation as more twisted details emerge.