Director Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) is in talks to replace J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) at the helm of Lionsgate's Deepwater Horizon. J.C. Chandor had been attached to the project for some time now, but he backed away from the adaptation due to creative differences. If Peter Berg's deal is finalized, Deepwater Horizon will reunite him with his Lone Survivor star Mark Wahlberg.

The Wrap reports that Liam Neeson, who starred in Peter Berg's Battleship, and Michael Keaton are being sought to co-star in Deepwater Horizon, although no deals are currently in place and it isn't known what characters they may portray. The project is based on a December 2010 New York Times article entitled Deepwater Horizon's Final Hour by David Barstow, David Rohde, and Stephanie Saul, which chronicles the events leading up to the 2010 explosion on the BP oil rig dubbed Deepwater Horizon.

Mark Wahlberg is playing Mike Williams, the oil rig supervisor. The story will not only chronicle everything leading up to the explosion, but also the acts of heroism of those who tried to rescue the crew members stranded in the water, many of which were never made public. The explosion killed 11 people and injured 16 others. Matthew Sand and Matthew Michael Carnahan, who wrote Peter Berg's The Kingdom, wrote the adapted screenplay. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing alongside Lionsgate and Participant Media. It isn't known when production may begin.