Bullhead director Michael R. Roskam has been hired to helm Focus Features' upcoming thriller The Tiger. He is replacing Darren Aronofsky, who stepped down to direct his biblical epic Noah.

John Vaillant's book is based on a true story that follows a animal activist and researcher, who must stop a viscous tiger that is systematically killing people in a remote village in Russia's Far East region.

Babel writer Guillermo Arriaga adapted the screenplay, with Darren Aronofsky, Brad Pitt, Ari Handel, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner set to produce.

The director also has HBO's pilot script Buda Bridge on his plate with Breaking Bad producer Mark Johnson and Michael Mann.