Columbia is delving into the world of young adult literature with this latest project. According to Variety, the studio has optioned the Maximum Ride young adult novel series written by James Patterson.

Don Payne (Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer) has been tapped to adapt for the big screen. The story revolves around six young children who have been genetically mutated so that 2 percent of their DNA is of a bird, which enables them to fly. They escape their secret government testing lair and are hunted down by "Erasers", who are part human and part wolf.

"The Maximum Ride books use man-made mutation as a metaphor of humans trying to take advantage of human frailty and interfere with nature," said Avi Arad, who would produce along with Steven Paul and his son, Ari Arad. Patterson would serve as executive producer.