German director Roland Emmerich is planning on returning to the alien invasion genre with a new film called ‘The Zone,’ the Hollywood Reporter is speculating. While Emmerich has only helmed one movie in the genre, the 1996 Will Smith hit ‘Independence Day,’ its popularity, and the attention the new film ‘Skyline’ is getting, has led the director back to the subject.

Emmerich will reportedly start work on ‘The Zone’ after his next movie, ‘Anonymous,’ the political thriller about Shakespeare, is released next September. The movie will follow the lead of such hit horror movies as ‘Paranormal Activity,’ ‘Diary of the Dead,’ ‘Quarantine’ and the film that started the “found footage” genre, ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ The roles, including a haggard journalist in his 40s or 50s, and his camera man, who is in his early to mid 20s, have reportedly already been cast with unknown actors.

The genre rose to popularity in the late ’90s with ‘The Blair Witch Project,’ as it had a unique premise, and people didn’t know if it was real or fake. While some people complain about motion sickness while watching movies in the lost footage genre, studios continue to push them because they’re cheap to make.

Written by: Karen Benardello