Julius Avery, who directed A24’s “Son of a Gun,” is set to direct Paramount and Bad Robot’s World War II pic “Overlord.”

Billy Ray and J.J. Abrams came up with the idea for the story with Ray penning the script. “The Revenant” screenwriter Mark L. Smith has done a slight polish on the draft with Abrams producing for Bad Robot.

The story follows two paratroopers who are caught behind enemy lines after their plane crashes on a mission to destroy a German Radio Tower in a small town outside of Normandy during the D-Day invasion. After reaching their target, the two paratroopers come to realize that besides fighting off Nazi soldiers, they also must combat against supernatural forces that are a result of a secret Nazi experiment.

The project was first acquired by Paramount in 2007 and has since gained steam following Avery’s attachment. Sources indicate execs have already begun meeting with talent to play the two soldiers.

Prior to his breakout film “Son of a Gun,” Avery was best known for his short films that eventually landed him the job on the A24 thriller. The critical success of “Son of a Gun” caught the eye of Ridley Scott, who tapped him to direct the drug trafficker movie “The King of L.A.”